Cost and Money in Spain

07-07-04

Currency: euro

Meals

Budget: €5-10
Mid-range: €10-15
High: €15-20
Deluxe: €20+

Lodging
Budget: €15-40
Mid-range: €40-70
High: €70-100
Deluxe: €100+

Spain is one of Europe's more affordable countries. If you are particularly frugal it's just about possible to scrape by for around 20.00 a day. This would involve staying in the cheapest possible accommodation, avoiding eating in restaurants or going to museums or bars, and not moving around too much. A more comfortable budget would be 40.00 a day, allowing for a basic hotel room, set meals, public transport and entry to museums. With 100.00 a day you can stay in excellent accommodation, rent a car and eat some of the best food Spain has to offer.
Credit and debit cards are widely accepted at hotels and restaurants, especially from the mid-range up, and also for long-distance train tickets.
Be careful carrying your money, whether it's jingling or plastic, as tourists are a major target of theft – hundreds of thousands of credit cards go missing in Spain every year.
In restaurants the law requires menu prices to include service charge, and tipping is a matter of personal choice – most people leave some small change if they're satisfied and 5% is usually plenty. It's common to leave small change at bar and café tables.

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