There is one conversation that comes up in real estate agency offices with remarkable regularity. Someone walks in already in love with the Costa Blanca and asks: “So what is the actual difference between Alicante and Torrevieja? They are both by the sea, both in Spain, both warm.” And that is where things get interesting, because there is a difference, and it is much more noticeable than it may seem at first glance.

We decided not to guess, but to look at the latest summer 2026 data from the popular Numbeo portal and break everything down: how much a basic loaf of bread costs, how much an apartment costs, how much a taxi costs on a rainy evening, and how much money you are likely to have left after all those expenses. We will also explain why numbers do not always tell the whole story about where life is actually better.

The numbers: how much more expensive is Alicante?

Let us start with the main conclusion from the Numbeo calculator. The cost of living in Alicante excluding rent is 13.1% higher than in Torrevieja. Including rent, the gap increases to 20.7%. Rent itself is 45.6% higher, restaurants are 17.7% more expensive, and groceries cost 11.3% more. At the same time, local purchasing power in Alicante is 16.2% lower than in Torrevieja, and that may be the most telling figure of all.

Numbeo even calculated a specific example: to live in Alicante with the same level of comfort that €3,300 per month gives you in Torrevieja, you would need almost €3,984. A difference of €684 every month is no rounding error – it is a meaningful amount of money, enough for a weekend trip once a month on a local low-cost airline.

Rent: the main reason for the budget gap

If you are looking for the root of the difference between the two cities, this is it. A one-bedroom apartment in central Torrevieja costs around €630, while a comparable apartment in Alicante comes to €885.67. That is 40.6% more. Outside the centre, the picture is similar: €573.75 versus €739.40, or 28.9% more.

Families with children should look at three-bedroom apartments, and here the gap becomes even more noticeable. In central Torrevieja, such an apartment costs around €1,085, while in Alicante it is already €1,473.33 – almost €400 more. If you move farther from the centre, there is an even bigger surprise: €796 in Torrevieja versus €1,394.44 in Alicante, a difference of 75.2%. The curious part is that moving away from the centre in Alicante barely saves your budget, while in Torrevieja the outskirts offer the most noticeable savings.

What if you buy instead of rent?

Here the picture is a little more contradictory, and it is important to understand that in advance. A square metre in central Alicante costs around €3,752.94, compared with €2,591.43 in Torrevieja – a difference of almost 45%. That looks fairly logical: Alicante is a full regional capital with a university, port, airport and all the infrastructure of a major city.

But once you move outside the centre, the situation flips. Outside central Torrevieja, a square metre costs €2,360, while in Alicante it is cheaper at €1,916.15. In other words, the outskirts of Alicante are almost 19% cheaper than the outskirts of Torrevieja. For an investor, that is an interesting signal: if you are looking beyond tourist-centre locations and considering residential neighbourhoods, the price difference between the cities is not nearly as straightforward as it first appears.

However, you should not forget the “hidden pitfalls”: Alicante has certain neighbourhoods that are considered less favourable in terms of safety, and this is something worth checking before making an attractive-looking purchase based on price alone. As for Torrevieja, there may be individual buildings where you are unlucky with the neighbours, but fortunately there are no entire districts that could really be described as problematic in the same sense.

Restaurants: where is it tastier and cheaper?

A meal in an inexpensive restaurant costs €13.50 in Torrevieja and €15 in Alicante. The difference is small, just 11%, and barely noticeable compared with some of the other expenses. But dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant, with three courses and no drinks, is another story entirely: €40 in Torrevieja versus €60 in Alicante, a 50% increase. If you are planning frequent romantic dinners by the sea, that difference adds up to a respectable amount over the course of a year.

One curious detail: bottled water in a Torrevieja restaurant costs €1.67, while in Alicante it is only €1.17 – 30% cheaper. Cappuccino is also slightly cheaper in Alicante for some reason: €1.91 versus €2.08. So this comparison does not always favour one city consistently – there are some pleasant exceptions.

Grocery shopping: vegetables make the difference

This is where the price surprises really begin, especially if you like cooking at home. Potatoes cost €0.97 per kilogram in Torrevieja and €1.62 in Alicante, a difference of 66%. Onions break all the records: €1.05 versus €1.94, or 84.5% more. Oranges are 42% more expensive, tomatoes 34% more, and apples 30% more.

Meat and dairy tell a more interesting story. Chicken fillet is 27.4% more expensive in Alicante, and local cheese 27.8% more. Beef, on the other hand, is cheaper: €19 per kilogram in Torrevieja versus €14.83 in Alicante, a difference of minus 21.9%. Milk costs almost the same in both cities, with only a negligible difference.

If you are a foodie and enjoy imported beer, be prepared to pay 51.3% more in Alicante for a 0.33-litre bottle. Mid-range wine, meanwhile, costs exactly the same in both places – €4 in Torrevieja and €4 in Alicante. Pricing has its own selective logic.

Transport: an unexpected advantage for Alicante

Here Alicante suddenly turns out to be cheaper, and this is worth remembering if you use taxis often. The starting fare is €4.50 in Torrevieja and €2.10 in Alicante – less than half the price. One hour of taxi waiting time costs €30 in Torrevieja and only €15 in Alicante. The explanation is simple: a larger city has more competition among taxi operators and a higher density of bookings, which helps keep fares lower.

A single bus ticket is also cheaper in Alicante at €1.45 versus €1.60. A monthly pass, however, is slightly more expensive: €22 versus €20. Petrol costs almost the same in both cities, with only a minor difference. Prices for new cars are also almost identical, which makes sense, as cars are sold according to national pricing rather than city-specific rates.

Utilities and connectivity: where the difference really shows

Basic utilities for an 85-square-metre apartment cost €101.22 per month in Torrevieja and €124.31 in Alicante, a difference of 22.8%. Internet is around a quarter more expensive. Mobile service, however, shows the biggest gap: a plan with calls and 10 GB of data costs €8.17 in Torrevieja and almost twice as much in Alicante at €16.15, a difference of 97.8%. Almost double for essentially the same package of services.

Sport, leisure and children

A fitness club membership costs almost the same in both cities, with a difference of just 6%. Weekend tennis court hire in Alicante, however, jumps dramatically: €15.57 versus €4.50 in Torrevieja, or 246% more. On the other hand, cinema tickets are 14% cheaper in Alicante – once again, the effect of a bigger city and greater competition between cinemas.

If you are raising children, pay attention to preschool costs: full-day private preschool in Torrevieja costs €442.56 per month, compared with €656.88 in Alicante, almost €1,500 more per year. International schools show the opposite picture, and the difference is enormous: annual tuition in Torrevieja costs €16,000, while in Alicante it is only €8,394 – almost half the price. The reason is simple: Alicante has more schools and more competition, while Torrevieja has fewer such institutions and they are aimed primarily at affluent expats, which keeps prices high.

Clothing: where Alicante really gets expensive

Levi’s jeans cost €40 in Torrevieja and €76.53 in Alicante, almost twice as much. Men’s leather shoes are 65% more expensive, and Nike trainers 35% more. The only exception is summer dresses from mass-market brands, where the difference is minimal at just 4.7%. It seems that shopping for a basic wardrobe is more economical in Torrevieja, while Alicante is better for branded items and seasonal sales.

Salaries and mortgages

The average net salary is €1,691.25 in Torrevieja and €1,710 in Alicante, a difference of just 1.1% – practically negligible. The 20-year mortgage rate is slightly higher in Alicante, at 2.99% versus 2.90%. The difference is small, but with a large loan over a quarter of a century, it still translates into real money.

How does this compare globally?

Numbeo’s cost of living index places Alicante at around 52 points, with New York set at 100. For comparison, London is around 90, Sydney 83, Berlin 75 and Prague 57. So even the more expensive of our two cities remains noticeably more affordable than most major European capitals. Torrevieja, with prices 13–20% lower than Alicante, turns out to be one of the more budget-friendly places along the Spanish coast when compared with major cities around the world.

So who is each city best suited to?

In short, Torrevieja works better for those who want a calm, measured life by the sea, enjoy cooking at home, are not focused on international schools and value affordable rent in the centre. Alicante will appeal more to people who want big-city infrastructure: an airport nearby, a university, a wide choice of restaurants, reasonably priced international education and taxis that will not ruin you after midnight.

There is also a third option, and it is quite logical once you look at the numbers: buying property on the outskirts of Alicante. The price per square metre there is lower than in Torrevieja, while all the infrastructure of a major city is still nearby. With a sensible approach and the support of a reliable real estate agency, this is actually an underrated option that people rarely consider first.

At Alegría, we see every day how cold numbers turn into real stories about people’s lives. Some clients come to us with a calculator in hand and already know for certain that they want quiet Torrevieja, an international community and a villa five minutes from the beach. Others choose Alicante for their child, who needs a good international school and later a university – and we understand every choice not only from the point of view of mathematical calculations.

There is no perfect answer to the question “which is better”, and we are not going to pretend there is. What we do have is something more useful: real properties in both cities, detailed knowledge of their neighbourhoods and a willingness to work out with you where your ideal lifestyle is most realistic. Write to us, we will show you options, arrange viewings and go through the numbers for your specific situation. And believe us, talking about a particular apartment is always even more interesting and useful than comparing cities in general.

The information provided does not constitute legal or tax advice and does not constitute a public offer.