Costs · 16 min read

Living in Spain as a Medicine student: what each city costs

When choosing a university almost nobody looks at the rent, and it is the expense that weighs most over a six year degree. The same room costs twice as much in Barcelona as in Granada. That difference, added up month by month, can exceed the cost of a whole year at a private university.

This article compares the cost of living in the Spanish cities that have a Medicine faculty at a public university. I use the data from idealista's latest report on rooms in shared flats, which is how most students live, and complete it with what I see every year in the families who consult me. The figures are averages of advertised prices: they help you compare cities, not know what you will pay for a specific room.

The short answer

The Spanish average for a room in a shared flat was €430 a month in the first quarter of 2026. But the range is huge: from €250 in Badajoz or Ciudad Real to €600 in Barcelona and almost €590 in Madrid. Most mid sized cities with a Medicine faculty, such as Granada, Salamanca, Murcia, Córdoba or Valladolid, sit between €300 and €320.

With all expenses, a student lives on about €700 to €850 a month in a mid sized city and needs €950 or more in Madrid or Barcelona. The average usually quoted for Spain, €900 to €1,000 a month, is based on large cities.

What a room costs in each city with Medicine

The table shows the average price of a room in a shared flat in each provincial capital with a public Medicine faculty, according to idealista for the first quarter of 2026, ordered from most to least expensive, and the change on the previous year.

Santiago de Compostela, home to one of the oldest Medicine faculties in Spain, does not appear because the report only covers provincial capitals. Judging by prices in its area, it is likely to fall within the mid sized city range.

Two things the table does not say. First, these are city wide averages: a room next to the faculty or the hospital usually costs more. Second, the change column matters as much as the price: in Oviedo or Cádiz rooms rose more than 10% in one year, while in Valencia or Pamplona they fell.

Expensive cities that do not look it

Some cities nobody associates with high rents appear near the top of the table. Palma, at €500 on average, San Sebastián at €470 and Málaga at €437 are above the Spanish average, mainly because of pressure from tourism and holiday lets on housing. Girona, Pamplona, Bilbao and the two Canary Island capitals are around €410 to €425.

On the islands there is also a cost the table does not show: flights. Every trip home, to the mainland or to your country, costs more and depends more on the calendar. If you study in Las Palmas, Tenerife or Palma, budget for travel from the start.

The monthly budget, item by item

This is a realistic budget for a Medicine student, in a mid sized city and in a large one. These are indicative figures, to give you the order of magnitude:

On top of that come the costs that are not monthly: the health insurance required for the visa, the annual renewal of your student card, books and lab materials in the first years, and trips home. In Medicine, the uniform, the stethoscope and some reference books are also a fixed cost of the first years.

Food and transport change much less from one city to another than housing does. Groceries cost about the same in Granada as in Madrid; what shoots up in big cities is rent and, to a lesser extent, eating out. That is why, when comparing cities, almost all the difference is in the first row of the table.

If you prefer to live alone or come with family

Living alone multiplies the budget. A whole flat in a mid sized city was renting in June 2026 for around €950 to €1,050 a month according to Enalquiler, with Granada, Salamanca and Valladolid in that range, against €300 for a room. In Madrid or Barcelona the gap is even wider.

If you come with a partner or a family member, remember too that for the visa you will have to prove additional funds for each dependent. Do the numbers before choosing the city, because that is where the difference shows most.

Madrid and Barcelona: the price of living in a major city

Madrid and Barcelona are home to many of the best known Medicine faculties, and also to the most expensive rents in the country. For students the price goes up further: according to the consumer association OCU, using idealista listings from late August 2026, rooms advertised for students averaged €735 in Barcelona and €689 in Madrid, because September is exactly when demand peaks.

Halls of residence in Madrid average around €950 to €1,050 a month according to sector guides, with places well above that figure. They include services you would pay for separately in a flat, but they do not make up the difference.

That does not mean you should rule them out. If your place is in Madrid or Barcelona, the strategy is different: look in neighbourhoods well connected to the hospital rather than in the centre, share a flat with more people and start looking in June, not September.

Mid sized cities: where money goes further

Granada, Salamanca, Murcia, Córdoba, Valladolid, Albacete or Almería have something in common: rooms around €300, cities you can cross on foot and a very present student life. For an international student they are often easier cities to start in as well: less stress finding a flat, more time to study.

The difference is easier to grasp in years than in months. Between a €587 room in Madrid and a €300 one in Granada there is almost €290 a month. Over six years that is more than €20,000, more than a whole year costs at many private universities. If two faculties suit you equally by score, the city can decide.

The only catch with mid sized cities is that supply is smaller and concentrated in a few weeks. In Granada or Salamanca the best flats are let in July. If your admission arrives late, have a temporary accommodation plan for the first weeks.

Hall of residence, colegio mayor or shared flat

A university or private hall of residence is the most comfortable option for the first year: a furnished room, cleaning, sometimes meals, and a contract per academic year. It is the most expensive, but it has an advantage that does not show in the price: you arrive somewhere safe while you learn how everything works.

A colegio mayor is a residence with its own community life, activities and house rules, attached to a university. It usually includes full board. If you like the idea of a community it is worth it, but places are requested well in advance.

A shared flat is what most Spanish students do from the second year, and the best balance between price and independence. My recommendation for an international student is usually a hall of residence in the first year and a shared flat afterwards, when you know the city and your classmates.

A room with a host family is the least known option and often the cheapest. You live with a Spanish family, sometimes with meals included, and practise the language every day. For someone who arrives young and without a network in the city it can be a good first step, always with a clear written agreement on hours, meals and price.

The contract, the deposit and what you will be asked for

When you rent a flat as a home, the law sets a deposit of one month's rent. Many landlords also ask for additional guarantees, such as another month in advance or a guarantor, and with an international student without a Spanish payslip it is common to ask for more. For rooms the contract is usually seasonal or per academic year, with conditions agreed case by case.

Have ready your passport, the university admission letter and proof of your family's funds, the same you used for the visa. Read the whole contract before signing: which costs are included, how much notice is needed to leave and what happens to the deposit at the end. And always ask for a receipt for each payment.

Almost all landlords and electricity or internet companies will also ask for a Spanish bank account to set up direct debits. Open one as soon as you arrive: with your passport and admission letter many banks let you open a non resident account while your foreigner identity card is being issued. Paying rent from an account in your home country, with a fee on every international transfer, is a small cost that over six years stops being small. Ask each bank about student accounts without maintenance fees, which are common for people under 26.

How not to fall for a rental scam

Students looking for a flat from outside Spain are the favourite target of scams, because they cannot see the room in person. The warning signs repeat:

• A price far below the table average in a central neighbourhood.
• A landlord who is travelling and cannot show the flat, but will send you the keys if you pay first.
• Payments by transfer to accounts in other countries or through money transfer services.
• Pressure: there are many people interested and you have to pay today.

The safe approach is to pay nothing before seeing the room, in person or on a live video call with whoever is renting it, and before having a contract. If you have doubts about who the owner is, you can request a nota simple from the Property Registry. And if a friend or a classmate can go and see it for you, so much the better.

The hospital counts too: distances and transport

In Medicine it is not enough to live near the faculty. From the third or fourth year you spend much of your time in university hospitals, which are sometimes on the other side of the city or in another town. In Madrid or Barcelona an hour's journey is common; in a mid sized city, fifteen minutes by bus.

Before signing a contract for several years, check in the curriculum which hospitals host the clinical placements. Almost every city has discounted transport passes for young people or students, and in mid sized cities you often do not need one at all.

The housing calendar

The problem for international students is that admission arrives late and housing is allocated early. Public university admission lists come out in July, but many halls of residence open applications in spring and ask for a deposit. By the time you have your admission letter, some of the best places are already taken.

The way out of that loop is to work with two or three possible cities from the start. Ask each hall whether the deposit is refunded if you do not get a university place, and keep that answer in writing. For a shared flat, start looking as soon as you have your admission, and if you find nothing before travelling, book temporary accommodation for the first two or three weeks and search from there, seeing flats in person.

Town hall registration and first month paperwork

When you arrive you have to register at the town hall (empadronarte) of the city where you live, and for that you need the rental contract or an authorisation from the landlord. It matters more than it seems: the registration will be requested for your foreigner identity card, the health centre and many other procedures. So if you rent a room, confirm before signing that the landlord allows you to register. The other first month steps are in the student visa for Spain.

How to choose a city sensibly

1. Score and university first, then the city. The city decides between faculties that suit you equally.
2. Look at the table in years, not months. Multiply the monthly difference by twelve and by six.
3. Check where the placement hospitals are before choosing a neighbourhood.
4. Search before everyone else: in June or July, not September.
5. Start with a hall of residence or a short contract in the first year, and decide on a flat once you know the city.
6. Never pay without seeing or without a contract.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest city to study Medicine in Spain?

Among provincial capitals with a public Medicine faculty, Badajoz and Ciudad Real, with rooms around €250 a month according to idealista. They are followed by Granada, Salamanca, Murcia, Córdoba, Almería, Castellón and Albacete, at around €300.

How much money does a Medicine student need per month in Spain?

With a room in a shared flat, €700 to €850 a month in a mid sized city and €950 to €1,200 in Madrid or Barcelona. On top of that come health insurance, books and lab materials, and trips home.

How much does a student room cost in Madrid or Barcelona?

The average room in a shared flat was €587 in Madrid and €600 in Barcelona in the first quarter of 2026. Rooms advertised for students in late August reached €689 in Madrid and €735 in Barcelona, according to the OCU.

Is a hall of residence or a shared flat better?

For the first year, a hall of residence gives you security while you learn how the city works, although it costs more. From the second year, a shared flat is the norm and the best balance between price and independence.

How do I avoid a scam when renting from outside Spain?

Pay nothing before seeing the room in person or on a live video call and before having a contract. Be wary of very low prices, landlords who cannot show the flat and payments to accounts in other countries.

For the rest of the budget, see the cost of studying Medicine in Spain, and if you need funding, read the scholarships that really exist for international students.

Published on 10 November 2026 · Salam Aiach