Cost of Living in Alicante 2026: Rent and Monthly Budget

A single person renting a 60 m² flat in Alicante needs about €1,661 a month, and a couple renting 80 m² needs about €2,767, using September 2026 asking rents and what INE says residents of the Comunitat Valenciana spend. Rent is the main cost: €834 of the single budget and €1,112 of the couple budget.

The rent figure is idealista’s September 2026 asking rent for Alicante city: €13.9 per m² a month. It comes from idealista’s monthly rental price report for the city. Spending is from the INE Household Budget Survey 2025, which publishes by region, so it is the Comunitat Valenciana average, the same one used for Valencia, rather than an Alicante city figure.

Rent in Alicante

Asking rent applies to homes listed now, so it is a good guide to what a newcomer pays and a poor guide to what a long-term tenant pays. The price depends on flat size:

Flat size	Calculation	Monthly rent
50 m²	50 × €13.9	€695
60 m²	60 × €13.9	€834
70 m²	70 × €13.9	€973
80 m²	80 × €13.9	€1,112

How does that compare? Madrid asks €23.4 per m², Barcelona €20.1, Málaga €16.5 and Valencia €16.3; the national figure is €15.1. Alicante is about 41% below Madrid (€13.9 against €23.4) and about 31% below Barcelona (€13.9 against €20.1). It is 16% below Málaga, 15% below Valencia and 8% below the national figure. For a 70 m² flat, that is €973 in Alicante against €1,638 in Madrid, €1,407 in Barcelona, €1,155 in Málaga and €1,141 in Valencia. Our guides to Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga use the same method.

Everyday spending

INE reports average spending per person in the Comunitat Valenciana in 2025, with housing costs removed and utilities kept in. Alicante and Valencia share the same regional figures:

Per person	A year	A month
Food (groceries)	€2,245	€187
Transport	€1,671	€139
Utilities (water, electricity, gas)	€582	€48
Leisure (recreation, culture, restaurants, hotels)	€1,985	€165
Other (clothing, health, communications, education, insurance, personal care)	€3,444	€287
Total	€9,927	€827

Monthly rows are rounded, so they can differ from the total by €1. The regional average includes children and retirees, so a working adult who eats out and travels may spend more. Compared with the average resident of Madrid (€910 a month) the regional average is €83 lower, and it is €7 below the national figure (€834).

Monthly budget: single person and couple

The single person rents 60 m². The couple rents 80 m² and spends twice the per-person average.

Monthly	Single (60 m²)	Couple (80 m²)
Rent	€834	€1,112
Food	€187	€374
Transport	€139	€279
Utilities	€48	€97
Leisure	€165	€331
Other	€287	€574
Total	€1,661	€2,767
Total per year	€19,932	€33,204

Rent is 50% of the single budget (€834 of €1,661) and 40% of the couple budget (€1,112 of €2,767). The couple utilities line assumes two people use twice as much as one, which overstates a shared home slightly. Not included: income tax, a private health policy, a car purchase and anything you pay before you arrive.

Budget versus visa income requirements

Both visas ask you to prove income, and the requirement is a separate number from what you will spend:

Monthly	Budget in Alicante	Non-lucrative visa	Digital nomad visa
Single	€1,661	€2,400	€2,849
Couple	€2,767	€3,000	€3,917

The non-lucrative visa asks for 400% of the IPREM for the applicant (€2,400 a month, with the 2026 IPREM at €600) and 100% for each family member (€600), so a couple needs €3,000. The digital nomad visa is stated by the Washington DC consulate as €2,442 a month for one person (200% of the €1,221 monthly minimum wage); many advisers use €2,849 (the minimum wage spread over 12 months) and add €1,068 for the first family member, so a couple needs €3,917. This site treats €2,442 as the consulate figure and €2,849 as the safe target, and the table uses the safe target. Both visas are covered in the linked guides.

In Alicante a single person’s budget (€1,661) sits €739 below the non-lucrative requirement and €1,188 below the €2,849 digital nomad target. Against the €2,442 consulate figure the gap is €781. A couple’s budget (€2,767) is €233 below the non-lucrative minimum and €1,150 below the digital nomad target. In short, the visa thresholds, not the cost of living, set how much money you need to show.

What can move your number

• Neighborhood and size. The €13.9 is a city figure. Each extra 10 m² adds €139 a month in rent.
• Utilities in summer and winter. The INE figure is an annual average per person; a heavy air-conditioning household will be above it.
• Sharing. Two flatmates splitting a 70 m² flat (€973) pay €486.50 each before spending.
• Regional spending is not city spending. The Comunitat Valenciana average covers the whole region, so Alicante city residents may spend differently.

For the full five-city comparison and the national picture, read cost of living in Spain.

Sources and limits

Rent: idealista’s rental price report for Alicante city, September 2026. These are asking rents in listings, not rents actually paid. Spending: INE Household Budget Survey 2025, final results published 25 June 2026 (tables 73991 and 73993). Checked 7 October 2026.