Anything more than a rough guide to the cost of living in Spain is very difficult. There are big price variations between regionsand cities, with the cost of living much higher in the urban centers such as Madrid and Barcelona than in the rural Spanish villages and towns.

Since the introduction of the Euro, there has been an inflation in prices in Spain. With the conversion, some prices were rounded up to the nearest Euro equivalent, with more increases coming in time.

With all those caveats, here are some very rough costs for you that can be used for gauging the cost of living.

Telephone: Flat-fee of about 20 euros per month with the calls that you make on top of that.

Food: For two people bills are generally 300 Euros a month. An average restaurant bill is eight to fifteen Euros (much cheaper at lunch), with a glass of beer or wine one to two Euros.