Dirt Cheap Madrid

Are you completely bowled over and want to stay in Spain? Have you been bitten by the bug? Has their lust for life completely won you over? You’re not alone. Many a traveler has come to see the sights, and, well, never left.

EU citizens have it easy
If you are an EU citizen and looking to stay for an extended period of time, you don’t have a care in the world; however, if you are American, you can legally stay in Spain on, at most, a three-month visa. If you want to stay longer, you will have no choice to begin a lengthy and ridiculously annoying process to acquire a legal residence permit. Your best bet is to consult a lawyer when you’re here, but we warned: it can (and does) take years.

Costs of a place to stay starts at 250 euros
Whether you’re planning to hang out for 3 months or 3 years, you’ll need to get yourself a place to stay. Your best bet is to rent a room in a shared flat, which, depending on the size and location could cost you between 250 and 500 euros a month. This is by far the best option, as assuming you don’t live with crazy people, shared flats are very fun. Renting your own place can be quite expensive, as apartments in the center (and even outside of the center) usually start at around 700 euro, and can require deposits of up to a year at times (insane, I know).

Where to find a flat/apartment
Whatever you’re looking for, check out websites like loquo.com, segundamano.es, and www.enalquiler.com. Segundamano is also a newspaper published every weekday, so it’s advisable to wake up at the crack of dawn, check it out and start calling as soon as humanly possible. Demand often trumps supply, especially in September and October when students return from their summer vacation. You can also pick up a free monthly newspaper called In Madrid in any Irish pub and check out the classifieds in the back. There are usually several pages of rooms and flats for rent.

Making money in Madrid
Your best bet for making some cash is teaching English, and there are no shortage of offers. Check out the papers and websites above, or put together a list of academies in Madrid from the internet and start calling. Some places will require you be certified, but many couldn’t care less. Here again, demand trumps supply.

Best of luck!

Visiting European cities on a tight budget? Check out our other dirt cheap guides!

Amsterdam budget travel guide.
Barcelona budget travel guide.
Berlin budget travel guide.
Birmingham budget travel guide.
Copenhagen budget travel guide.
Istanbul budget travel guide.
London budget travel guide.
Rome budget travel guide.
Vienna budget travel guide.