“Spain is affordable” is a half-truth. Costs vary depending on where you study- a room in central Madrid can easily cost twice what you would pay in Salamanca or Granada. Your city choice will shape your monthly budget as much as your lifestyle does. 

Public universities remain relatively affordable, but fees vary by region and fields like Engineering, Architecture, and Health Sciences are consistently more expensive than Humanities and Social Sciences. At doctoral level, the picture improves further- competitive positions funded through national schemes like FPI and FPU often cover tuition fully and provide a monthly stipend.

Engineering, Architecture, and Health Sciences carry higher fees within public universities than Humanities. PhD positions with FPI or FPU fellowships cover fees entirely and include a monthly stipend.

Madrid: Spain's capital and most expensive student city. Best for students who want maximum career networking, a large Indian community, and access to the headquarters of most major companies operating in Spain. Outer neighbourhoods bring costs down significantly.

Barcelona: Global city with strong startup culture, world-class universities, and a vibrant international student scene. Slightly pricier than Madrid for accommodation. Expect Catalan alongside Spanish in daily life.

Valencia: Consistently underrated. Strong technical and general universities, beach city lifestyle, genuinely warm culture, and cheaper than Madrid or Barcelona. Best cost-quality ratio in Spain.

Seville: Andalusia's capital with a large, well-regarded university and a relaxed pace of life. Walkable city centre, strong tapas culture, and among the most affordable major cities in Spain.

Granada: One of Europe's great student cities. Over 60,000 students in a compact, walkable city. Deeply affordable, culturally rich, and one of the few places left in Spain where free tapas with every drink is still standard practice.

Salamanca: Historic university city, one of the oldest in Europe. Ideal for students prioritising Spanish language immersion- widely considered home to the clearest Castilian Spanish spoken anywhere. Most affordable city on this list.

Most Indian students budget for monthly living costs and forget that the first month costs more than every month after it. Accommodation alone requires the security deposit - around one to two months' rent plus the first month's rent, all paid at signing. Add household basics like kitchen items, and toiletries, a SIM card, transport card setup, and initial university materials, and you are looking at a realistic first-month buffer of €1,500 to €2,500 depending on the city. Have this available before you arrive , not as money you plan to sort out after landing.

Open a Spanish bank account within the first month. This is needed for salary, rent direct debits, and avoiding transaction fees. CaixaBank, BBVA, and Santander all have no-fee student accounts. You need your passport, TIE (or receipt), and empadronamiento certificate.

For transfers from India, you can use Wise rather than bank-to-bank transfers. Revolut and N26 also work well for day-to-day spending without a Spanish account.

Students working part-time pay Spanish income tax and your employer handles withholding automatically. If you earn above the minimum threshold, you will file an annual tax return in spring. The Agencia Tributaria's online system pre-fills most of it.