How We Spent €3950 Living in Valencia (And Why You Absolutely Don’t Have To)
The unfiltered truth about rent, groceries, tapas, and terrible financial discipline.
TLDR:
Valencia is affordable — unless you eat like us. We live in a great neighbourhood, buy premium groceries, and dine out 3–4 times a week. Our monthly spend hits €3950.25 / A$7080.00 for two people, but a normal (non–financially unhinged) human can live here comfortably for €2500 / A$4475.00 per month. Valencia is beautiful, safe, walkable and feels like home — and you can 100% do it cheaper than we do.
Welcome to Valencia — the city where the sun is free, the oranges are cheap, and apparently my grocery bill needs an urgent intervention.
My partner and I moved here in July 2025 and, like everyone who relocates, the first month was chaos: setup costs, deposits, IKEA pilgrimages… everything except a normal routine.
Now that life has settled.. a little, it’s time for a brutally honest, slightly painful, definitely cheeky breakdown of what it actually costs us to live in Valencia. But, a few moving expenses might have been included so bear that in mind.
Spoiler: Valencia is beautiful, walkable, safe and feels like home.
The problem isn’t the city.
The problem… is us.
These numbers are from September 2025, split 50/50 between the two of us.
Strap in.
Accommodation — €1250 / A$2237.50 P/M
We live in Ruzafa, one of Valencia’s coolest neighbourhoods — trendy cafés, beautiful streets, dogs wearing outfits nicer than mine. Our 2-bedroom apartment is bright, comfortable, and right where the social life happens.
Valencia has been ranked one of the world’s most liveable cities for years, and popularity brings higher rent. Still, being close to friends and everything walkable is worth every euro to us.
How to save on accommodation?
Avoid the hotspot neighbourhoods like Ruzafa and Old Town. A 10–15 minute distance from the action can shave hundreds off your rent.
Health Insurance — €120 / A$214.80 (for both of us)
If you’re on the NLV, health insurance isn’t optional. Luckily, Spain isn’t the US.
My full-coverage annual policy (dental, physio, eye doctors, medical visits) costs €600 / A$1074.00. It meets visa requirements and works perfectly for someone healthy who rarely needs a doctor.
Saving money here isn’t really possible, but when the American alternative costs more per month than we pay per year… it hardly feels like a problem.
Gym — €33.25 / A$59.52 P/M
Health is important to me, so a gym membership is a must. Ours is clean, well-equipped, has friendly people, and throws in nice extras like classes and biolab testing.
Can you save money?
Yes — run outside, swim at the beach, or use a cheaper neighbourhood gym. Valencia makes fitness extremely affordable. We just happen to choose the nicer option.
Groceries — €1302.14 / A$2331.83
Viewer discretion advised — this section contains disturbing financial content.
This bill seriously made me reconsider my life choices. Food is our biggest expense and this number covers only groceries. Not restaurants.
We visit the supermarket way too often — 3+ times a week — and every “quick shop” turns into a €50 detour of things that were absolutely not on the list. “Stick to the damn list Andy!”
A normal Spaniard spends €200–€250 / A$358–A$448 per month.
We spend five times that.
My grocery bill could fund a return trip to Australia.
And yet… here we are.
How to save on groceries?
Buy cheaper brands, stick to the damn list, go to markets, and limit supermarket trips. If you do any of those things you’ll already be outperforming me financially….Sobbing over the keyboard…
Water — ~€30 / A$53.70 P/M
Water here runs at about €1 a day. No complaints.
Gas — €4 / A$7.16 P/M
We use gas canisters that cost €16 / A$28.64 and last 3–4 months.
This is the only category where I feel like a responsible adult.
Electricity — €80–135 / A$143.20–A$241.65 P/M
Summer hit us hard. AC was running constantly, and the bill reflected it. Things have since calmed down now that temperatures have dropped.
Locals have a smart system: open windows early, catch the cool air, then shut everything by late morning to keep the heat out. Fans also help.
I, however, tend to just “hope for the best” and then act shocked when the bill arrives.
Internet & Phones — €39.82 / A$71.28 P/M
DIGI gives us fibre internet, cable TV, and two unlimited mobile plans for under €40. The value here is insane.
You could skip cable or drop a phone plan to save money, but honestly, it’s already so cheap it barely registers.
Transport — €26.50 / A$47.44
Taxis are handy but slow to pick up.
The metro and buses? Absolutely brilliant.
A €15 top-up on the SUMA card gave me roughly 20 rides. At less than the price of a coffee per trip, getting around Valencia is incredibly affordable.
Dining Out / Entertainment — €1034.54 / A$1853.83 P/M
Here it is: the category that explains all of my life choices.
We eat out a lot — usually 3–4 times per week. Different cuisines, new restaurants, dinners with friends… Valencia makes it too easy.
And while eating out here is still cheaper than in many Western countries, the frequency adds up fast. This, combined with our premium grocery habit, is where half our monthly budget goes.
Cutting down even slightly — say two nights out a week instead of four — would save enough for a return trip to Mexico. That stings.
How to save?
Use Google Maps price filters, try more €10–€15 places, and cap nights out to 1–2 a week. You can still be social without lighting money on fire.
Summary — €3950.25 / A$7080.00
Writing this article has been confronting, alarming, and possibly requires several glasses of wine to recover from. But for you, this should be reassuring.
Why?
Because our spending is not normal.
We buy premium groceries.
We go out constantly.
We live in a popular neighbourhood.
And we enjoy a more “treat yourself” lifestyle than most.
You can absolutely live in Valencia for much less.
In my experience, a person can live comfortably here for €2500 / A$4475.00 per month:
A good apartment.
A nice neighbourhood.
A social life.
Eating well.
No financial heart attacks.
Valencia is truly special and incredibly liveable. And if you don’t shop and eat like me?
It’s also extremely affordable.
If you want to learn a simple, relatable investment strategy that generates consistent cashflow — whether to offset your own dining-out addiction or just buy back a bit more freedom — why not join the next Options Trading Course?
It’s the exact system I use to pay for my groceries… and, honestly, most of my life.
Just message “Course” below and I’ll send you the details.
Cheers
Andy
Valencia
What are the standout premium grocery items that come to mind, that you guys often but? Is it imported stuff?