Question
I am creating a budget for a family of 5 with young kids (approx 6‑8 at time of moving) moving to Spain.
Would love to know where we’ve overinflated the numbers or haven’t given enough credit to others. Are there other areas in which we’ve overlooked? Any other suggestions?
Couple of notes:
- We’re planning to buy a place (with a dedicated parking space) and mortgage isn’t included
- We’re planning to be within walking distance to most if not all amenities
- We will have a vehicle but not planning to use it daily
- We’re not fancy when it comes to food / eating out
- We want to travel – for a family of 5 it can get expensive
We’ve done our research on schools, this is a static number for now
Answers
“Soo, how does one go about getting a ‘husband budget’ of 300 euro and what does one spend that on? Lordy”
“Others can correct me if im wrong, but I do think you can get by with spending a bit less on groceries. Groceries in Spain are much more affordable, the children are young and don’t eat as much imo. Also the budget for you and husband is subjective/relative to the person. For me it would take a lot to spend €400 euros on upkeep a month but I’m a bit more “low maintenance”. Also insurance costs vary depending on private plans”
“I actually came here to say the opposite. We spend more on groceries living in Spain than we did in the US. The reason is because in the US, our kids ate breakfast and lunch at school. Now we have to provide every single meal and snacks.”
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“I agree. The grocery part seems about right for five. We are four and it usually end up just north of €600 depending on what we have eaten during the month.”
“second this as a family of 5”
“agree!”
“have you fed three kids? Those little buggers will eat you out of house and home.”
“You are moving to Spain… not to Switzerland… with half of that money you can have a very nice and decent life in Spain… now, if you want to live American Dream style? Stay where you are today.”
“1800 a month in property taxes? That seems a bit insane. Some of your lines say monthly and others contradict with yearly.”
“is kids school seriously 3K/month? i’m glad i don’t have kids 😝”
“We live on about 4k a month for 4 of us in northern Spain. … Overall I think your budget is a little inflated, but it also depends on how comfortable you like to live and obviously the region, which southern Spain is more expensive than the north.”
“Seriously, that’s 8000€/month WITHOUT rent or mortgage – so all in all it’ll be like 10k or so? 3k only for school each and every month? … You can live like a king with that much money.”
“my best advice … instead of bringing your previous spending habits with you get a very good handle on what is culturally normal where you are moving to rather than throwing wild numbers up on the internet.”
“People are ignoring that your monthly budget is €4,372 a month which is reasonable for the area you are moving to and the life you are accustomed to! What drives it up from there is the kids tuition …”
“I’m in Costa del Sol now. For me, groceries are higher here than in the Midwest US … Cell and internet you can get by with less. … Sorry you’re getting such crappy comments on this post.”
“also: entertainment seems low. also missing: summer camps”
“GAS AND ELECTRICITY are doubled. I pay much less for my house insurance. I pay €10 a month for a great internet/wifi (DIGI), and a babysitter is €10 per hour.”
“I live in Madrid. As a very frugal person, I spend about 250€/month on food. … So, yeah, 1250€ to feed a family of 5. Could be closer to 1500€ if you don’t want to be strictly regulated about it.”
“Our health insurance for 3 is only like €2.000 for the year. Our daughter goes to private British school, only €1.000/month.”
“Groceries are understated for a family of 5, Malaga got a lot more expensive last 2‑3 years. I would double that up.”
“Overall a safe budget to use as a reference, likely inflated on some items. I’d watch out for the entertainment line item, specially with kids.”
“Most Spanish live off combined incomes of €4000 and under a month, you could probably reduce your budget in many places.”
Conclusion
The community largely agrees the original €8,372 monthly Budget is more than enough for Málaga, but several lines need trimming. Groceries drew the widest range: some families of five spend €600–€1,500, with higher costs on the Costa del Sol than in northern regions.
Property tax, home insurance, babysitting and personal‑care allowances were flagged as overstated, while utilities may rise in summer and winter. Private‑school tuition is the biggest outlier; switching to public or concertado schools would cut costs dramatically.
Many respondents also reminded the poster to factor Spanish income taxes, community fees and occasional travel back to the US. Overall, a leaner figure around €4,000–€5,000 (plus any school fees) was cited as comfortable, though lifestyle choices ultimately dictate the final number.
The Final Budget for a Family of five moving to Spain
| Category | Original (€) | Corrected (€) | Note |
| Groceries | €750 | €1,000 | Higher due to realistic family grocery needs in Spain |
| Gas and transit costs | €200 | €200 | Remains the same; reasonable estimate for a car-owning family |
| Kids spending | €250 | €250 | Unchanged; toys and clothes for kids are consistent |
| Other / gifts / misc | €100 | €100 | No adjustment suggested |
| Entertainment | €450 | €500 | Increased to account for family dining and outings |
| Home spending | €150 | €100 | Lowered; basic cleaning/home items don’t cost as much monthly |
| Large house purchases | €100 | €50 | Lowered; better saved annually than monthly |
| Occasional babysitter help | €400 | €200 | Too high for average use (20h/month); reduced |
| Wife budget | €400 | €200 | Deemed excessive for personal upkeep |
| Husband budget | €300 | €100 | Also reduced to reflect average spending |
| Internet | €35 | €25 | Typical Spanish internet packages are cheaper |
| Cell phone plan | €35 | €20 | Spain offers low-cost mobile plans |
| Streaming services | €35 | €20 | Most families pay for one or two platforms |
| Gas & electric | €160 | €200 | Adjusted upward to reflect realistic utility costs |
| Water service | €60 | €60 | No change; consistent with regional pricing |
| Health insurance | €400 | €200 | Lower options available; Adeslas or similar insurers |
| Life insurance | €109 | €50 | Overestimated; corrected to typical monthly rates |
| Annual cost (monthly installment) | €423 | €300 | Trimmed after re-evaluating annual expenses |
| Kids school | €3,000 | €1,000 | Very high; possibly includes international school, corrected to more standard cost |
| Vacation budget | €1,000 | €600 | Reduced based on typical family travel costs |
| Total Monthly Cost | €8,357 | €5,175 | Sum of all monthly expenses |
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