Food, electricity, internet, transport, rents, mortgages and more – How much will daily costs increase in 2026 in Spain, and will there also be some price drops?
Spanish households spent €1,427 more in 2024 than in 2023, and the evidence suggests that this upward trend has continued through 2025, and even more so in 2026.
A paradox is occurring in Spain as the economy is growing at a faster pace than anywhere else in the EU and inflation has overall moderated in 2025, but wages are far from covering real needs.
READ MORE: Spain fastest growing EU economy in 2026 but benefits not trickling down
Spanish households face increasingly higher costs for housing, food, and energy, while their spending power remains stagnant.
Another increase of the minimum wage is on the cards and may be approved by early 2026, but that doesn’t mean life will be much more affordable for millions of Spaniards.
So what will get more expensive about life in Spain in 2026 and by how much?
Overall, leading bodies such as the Bank of Spain and Caixabank Research agree that prices will continue to rise in 2026 but not as much as the previous year. Let’s break it down in more detail.
Advertisement
Property
Spain’s housing crisis shows no signs of stopping in 2026 but there are at least signs of more moderate price increases in the new year.
According to Spain’s National Statistics Institute, property prices in 2025 have risen 12.8 percent compared to last year, marking 42 consecutive quarterly increases.
By contrast, leading Spanish banks such as BBVA and Bankinter predict increases of around 7 percent in 2026.
In their new report “The Real Estate Pulse Meter”, the Real Estate Business School together with the University of Málaga have similar forecasts: a 7.6 percent increase in transactions of newly built properties in Spain in 2026 and an 8.7 percent increase in transactions of existing homes.
READ MORE: What will happen to property prices and rents in Spain in 2026?
Rents
A panel of real estate analysts organised by leading search engine Fotocasa predicts rental price increases in Spain of between 3 and 8 percent in 2026, which is again more moderate than the 12.8 percent year-on-year rent rise in 2025.
But for people whose rental contracts expire in 2026, estimated to affect around 1.6 million tenants, the rent hikes could be much higher.
A report by the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs indicates these renters face rises of between 30 and 50 percent, translating to €1,735 more in rent annually on average.
READ MORE: 1.6 million renters in Spain face eviction or price hikes in 2026
Advertisement
Mortgages
Variable mortgage rates in Spain are expected to experience moderate interest rate hikes in 2026. The Euribor has risen for four consecutive months in 2025, and upward revisions to mortgage payments are already being seen on mortgages that are updated every six months.
READ ALSO: What the Euribor rise means for property buyers and owners in Spain
If the forecasts hold true, which point to stabilisation in line with the ECB’s official interest rates, the increases in monthly payments will gradually affect other loans, especially from the second half of 2026 onwards.
According to leading Spanish comparison site Kelisto, fixed mortgage rates are not expected to have higher interest rates for mortgage seekers in 2026, but banks will be more rigorous when checking potential borrowers’ solvency.
Advertisement
Electricity
Electricity bills will start the year with a considerable increase in the fixed rate of la luz (electricity). Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition has proposed a 10.5 percent increase in charges , while the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has proposed a 4 percent hike.
Fortunately, the ministry estimates that electricity bills will fall between 5 and 10 percent for households next year because energy prices – which make up most of what you pay – are expected to decrease compared to 2025.
The average monthly electricity bill in Spain in 2025 has been €69.
Advertisement
Water
In Spain’s two largest cities, the water bill will also be slightly more expensive in 2026. Consumers will pay 3 percent more in Madrid and 2.9 percent more in Barcelona, which only works to just €1 more every two months).
Gas
Gas prices will continue to weaken and move towards lows not seen in several years due to the imbalance between increased exports from the US and sluggish demand from Europe.
The Madrid Stock Exchange Studies Institute forecast that prices will fall by 12 percent by the end of 2025, and another 10 percent in 2026.
However, when it comes to the financial impact, gas tariffs in the free market are expected to see an average increase of 11.2 percent in gas access charges by 2026, mainly due to the drop in consumption.
This will add around €15 per year to some households’ bills, according to the comparison website Selectra.
Food and other daily costs
Overall, the cost of living in Spain will continue to rise for another year, although consumer prices are expected to increase less than in 2025.
Analysts at Spanish think tank Funcas estimate that inflation will rise to around 2.4 percent in 2026, compared to 2.7 percent in 2025. If these forecasts hold true, food prices will increase by 2.5 percent and unprocessed food prices by 5.1 percent.
The trends observed at the end of this year suggest that filling your shopping basket will be even more expensive in 2026.
Basic products such as eggs (+30.2 percent), beef (+18 percent), coffee (+17.3 percent), and chocolate (+14.5 percent) are among the main contributors to this increase.
Frozen fruit (+9.1 percent), nuts (+6.8 percent), frozen fish (+7 percent), butter, and whole milk (both up 5.1 percent) have also registered significant increases.
These price increases are attributed to factors such as avian flu, the recent swine fever outbreak, and adverse weather conditions.
Internet
Spain’s leading internet providers are planning price hikes for their monthly packages. Vodafone España will charge its customers €2.50 more a month.
Movistar plans a 4 percent price hike and Orange a 3 percent one too.
Digi is the only one of the leading internet providers in Spain that hasn’t announced a price increase.
Transport
The Spanish government approved at its last Cabinet meeting in 2025 the extension of transport subsidies to keep ticker prices low or free in 2026, welcome news keeping in mind that pretty much everything else is going up in price.
State-owned public transport (commuter rail, medium-distance trains, and certain bus routes) will maintain the fare reduction.
However, in regional public transport, the full extension of the fare reduction depends on whether the relevant administration also maintains its share.
The regional governments of Madrid, Valencia, Catalonia, and Andalusia have already announced that they will continue to fund their portion of the reduction.
Regarding flights, it should also be noted that the airport fee charged by Spanish airport operator Aena to the airlines will increase by 6.44 percent in 2026.
It’s therefore likely that the airlines will pass on this extra cost to passengers.
