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Before we continue it’s not always a straight comparison, of course you have to factor in local salaries and the amount that you’ll use your gas heating (if you have it Spain).
But in general, how much cheaper are bills in Spain compared with the UK?
According to government data, the UK had the highest electricity prices globally at 25.46 pence per kWh in 2023, which was much higher than other European countries.
By comparison, the report stated that Spain offered electricity at 13.31 pence per kWh.
Moving to Spain: What’s more expensive than in other countries?
Electricity
According to the UK’s Ofgem energy regulator, the average British household has 2.4 people living in it and uses 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas. This works out at 242 kWh of electricity and 1,000 kWh of gas per month.
For a flat or a one-bedroom house the average monthly cost per British gas for electricity and gas usage was £111.16 which is approximately €132 and for a year it was £1,333.96, approximately €1,594.
For a medium three-bedroom house this went up to £130.50 per month and £1,828.68 per year this is approximately €155.96 per month and €1285 per year.
According to a survey carried out by the app and website Ofertia.com, the average electricity bill in Spain is €67.63, while the Organisation of Consumers and Users OCU put it at an average of €63.06 for October 2024.
Data from Bankinter shows that Spain ranks 14th out of 39 European countries when it comes to electricity prices, which puts it somewhere in the middle.
READ ALSO: What’s cheaper about life in Spain than in other countries?
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Gas
When it comes to gas prices in Spain it’s a bit harder to work out and compare with the UK. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), only one third of homes in Spain have gas heating systems. The amount of gas you need to use greatly varies throughout the country.
The average gas bill cost of these homes stands at €115 per month, but only during the months of highest consumption in winter. In winter, more than half of the natural gas of the entire year is consumed.
Per the latest statistics on international domestic energy prices from DESNZ for the second half of 2023, electricity prices in the UK were more expensive than in any EU country, whereas gas prices were among the lowest.
USwitch shows that the average gas bill per year in the UK is £717.60 (€858.46). It’s likely you’ll pay less for gas in Spain, however, because you’ll use it less.
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Water
When it comes to water costs, the average water bill in England and Wales is £473 (€565.42) a year, according to Water UK. That means the average household pays around £39.42 (€47.12) a month. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there is no fixed rate for water in the UK.
You should also know that in England and Wales water bills are set to rise by an average of £94 over the next five years.
As Spain is twice the size of the UK and water usage, rainfall and costs vary so much from north to south, it really depends on where you live.
For example, if you live in Guadalajara in Castilla-La Mancha you’ll pay €164 a year for water consumption, but in Barcelona it goes up to €520, more than triple. In cities such as Murcia, Alicante, Palma, Huelva, Lérida, Tarragona and Cádiz, bills also exceed €400 annually.
Conclusion
While household utility bills generally do seem cheaper in Spain than in the UK, they can vary a lot in Spain depending on where you intend to live in the country and what type of property you have, whether that’s an apartment or a house.