How much does it really cost to live in Torrevieja? It is the question we hear most often from buyers planning a retirement or a long stay on the Costa Blanca South, and the honest answer is: less than in most of northern Europe, but more than the old ‘you can live on €800 a month’ stories suggest. Below we break down a realistic monthly budget for a couple living in a two-bedroom apartment they own — utilities, community fees, IBI and other local taxes, groceries, healthcare and transport — using the prices we and our clients see in 2026. All figures are approximate and meant to help you plan, not fixed tariffs.
Monthly budget for a couple in a two-bedroom apartment
This is the budget we sketch with clients who own their home outright and live here all year. It assumes a typical two-bed, two-bath apartment in a community with a pool, in the town centre, La Mata or Aguas Nuevas.
- Electricity: approximately €60–€110 (higher in July and August with air conditioning)
- Water and sewerage: approximately €20–€35
- Fibre internet and two mobile lines: approximately €35–€60
- Community fees: approximately €40–€90
- IBI and waste tax, spread over 12 months: approximately €20–€45
- Home insurance: approximately €15–€25
- Groceries and household: approximately €400–€550
- Eating out and leisure: approximately €150–€300
- Transport: approximately €40–€150, depending on whether you keep a car
- Private health insurance, if you need it: approximately €100–€300 for two
Added up, most couples we know spend approximately €900–€1,700 a month, excluding rent or mortgage. If you rent, add the rent itself: at the time of writing a long-term two-bedroom apartment in Torrevieja typically costs approximately €800–€1,100 a month — see our current long-term rentals in Torrevieja.
Electricity, water and internet: what the bills look like
Electricity is the bill that surprises newcomers most. Spanish contracts charge a fixed amount for contracted power (potencia, usually 3.45–4.6 kW for an apartment) plus consumption, the special electricity tax and VAT. After a temporary cut in spring 2026, VAT on electricity returned to the standard 21% on 1 June 2026. Winters are mild, but apartments without insulation feel cold in January, so heat-pump air conditioning often runs in both seasons. A south-facing home with good windows, or solar panels on a villa, makes a real difference.
Water in Torrevieja is supplied by Agamed, the municipal mixed company, and billed together with sewerage and treatment charges. Bills are modest for a couple but rise quickly with a private pool or a watered garden. Fibre optic reaches almost every urbanisation; bundles of fibre plus mobile lines are competitive, and there is no need to pay for satellite TV unless you want it.
Community fees: what you pay for and how to check them
Almost every apartment and many townhouses belong to a comunidad de propietarios. Fees in Torrevieja are usually approximately €40–€90 a month for an apartment in a complex with a pool and gardens, and more for buildings with a lift, concierge or underground parking. Detached villas outside a community pay nothing here, but carry their own pool, garden and maintenance costs, which typically exceed a community fee.
Before you buy, we always ask for three documents: the certificate showing the seller is up to date with payments, the approved annual budget, and the minutes of the last general meetings. The minutes reveal what is coming — a roof repair, a new lift, a façade — because those extraordinary contributions (derramas) are the real surprise for many owners.
IBI, waste tax and the non-resident income tax
IBI (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles) is the annual municipal property tax: a rate set by the town hall applied to the cadastral value (valor catastral), which is usually well below market value. In Torrevieja it is collected through SUMA, the Alicante provincial tax agency, and can be paid by direct debit. Ask the seller for the last receipt: it shows the exact amount and the cadastral value you will need for other taxes.
The waste collection tax (tasa de basuras) is a separate charge. Since Spain's Waste Law 7/2022, municipalities must pass the full cost of collection and treatment on to residents, so this tax has gone up in many towns, Torrevieja included, from 2025.
If you are not tax resident in Spain, you also file Modelo 210 every year for the ‘imputed income’ of a home you do not rent out. According to the Agencia Tributaria (checked September 2026), this is 1.1% of the cadastral value where the town's values were revised from 2012 onwards, or 2% otherwise, taxed at 19% for residents of the EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein and 24% for everyone else, including UK residents. Example at 1.1%: a cadastral value of €60,000 gives €660 of imputed income, so tax is €125.40 at 19% or €158.40 at 24%. Tax residents instead declare their worldwide income on the Spanish income tax return.
Groceries, markets and eating out in Torrevieja
Supermarket prices are one of the pleasant surprises. Torrevieja has all the major chains — Mercadona, Consum, Lidl, Aldi, Carrefour and more — plus Spanish and international speciality shops. A couple cooking at home most days typically spends approximately €100–€130 a week. Fruit, vegetables and fish are cheapest in season: the Friday market at Parque Antonio Soria on Avenida Delfina Viudes, with hundreds of stalls from 8:00 to 14:00, is where many residents stock up.
Eating out is still reasonable by northern European standards. A weekday menú del día with three courses and a drink is widely available for approximately €12–€16, while dinner for two with wine on the seafront promenade usually comes to approximately €50–€80. A few streets back from the paseo and the port, prices drop noticeably.
Healthcare costs: S1, convenio especial or private insurance
Torrevieja has its own public university hospital, the Hospital Universitario de Torrevieja, plus several health centres, so access to care is good. What you pay depends on your status:
- Working or self-employed in Spain: you are covered through your social security contributions.
- State pensioners from the UK or the EU with an S1 form: once the S1 is registered with the INSS you receive public healthcare with no monthly fee, like a Spanish pensioner.
- Early retirees without an S1: after at least one year of residence and registration on the padrón, the Generalitat Valenciana's convenio especial gives access to public primary and hospital care for €60 a month under 65 and €157 a month from 65, according to gva.es (checked September 2026). Prescription medicines are not included.
- Private health insurance: needed for many non-lucrative visa applications. Policies without co-payments start at approximately €50–€80 a month per person for people in their fifties and rise significantly with age.
Transport: the new urban bus and running a car
Torrevieja is renewing its urban bus network. Under the fare ordinance initially approved by the town council in June 2026, a single ticket costs €1.35, a 10-trip pass €9 and a 30-day unlimited pass €38, while the free Bono Oro covers residents aged 65 and over, pensioners and people with a disability of 33% or more who have been registered in Torrevieja for at least a year. Being on the padrón pays off directly.
Most residents of the outer urbanisations still keep a car. Budget for insurance (approximately €250–€500 a year for a small car), the annual road tax (IVTM) paid to the town hall, the ITV inspection and fuel. If you live within walking distance of the centre, Torrevieja town is one of the few places on this coast where you can manage without one.
How the property you choose changes your monthly costs
The biggest lever on your cost of living is the home itself. In our experience these choices matter most:
- Orientation and insulation: newer builds with double glazing and aerothermal systems keep electricity bills down all year.
- Community size: large complexes spread pool and garden costs over many owners; small blocks with a lift can cost more per month.
- Private pool: lovely, but count approximately €60–€100 a month for chemicals, electricity and maintenance.
- Location: living near shops and bus stops lets many couples manage with one car.
Browse property for sale in Torrevieja or compare with Orihuela Costa, and contact us: we will show you the real community budget and IBI receipt of any home you are considering. The tax and healthcare figures in this guide are general information checked in September 2026, not legal or tax advice; please confirm your own situation with a qualified adviser.