Let’s not sugarcoat it. Travel Spain on $50 a day in 2025 feels… tight. Like-wearing-your-jeans-out-of-the-dryer tight. But right here’s the wild component — it’s definitely achievable in Spain. Not effectively, now not carelessly, but soulfully, specially if you’re inclined to change visitor traps for again-alley brilliance, and posh eating places for hot, crusty bread eaten on a park bench at sundown.
This isn’t a few spreadsheet myth. I’ve executed it. Lived it. Scrounged for hostel breakfast toast and thanked the gods when the tapas came loose with my beer. So here’s how you stretch fifty dollars an afternoon — from the heart beat of Madrid to the gradual, golden lull of Granada.
🧭 First, the real communicate: what $50 receives you in Spain these days
We’re no longer in 2013 anymore. The euro dances in another way now, prices are sneaky, and towns like Barcelona and Madrid have figured out the way to wring every cent out of a huge-eyed tourist. But Spain nevertheless has these wonderful cracks in the machine — loopholes fabricated from loose museum hours, tapas way of life, and trains that price much less in case you’re cool with slowness.
What fifty greenbacks can cover (with care):
◼ A hostel bed
◼ Two right meals (if one is the budget lunch special)
◼ A beer or two (with meals magically connected)
◼ Local transport
◼ Maybe one small appeal — in case you plan it right
What it doesn’t cover? Impulse shopping. Cocktails. Cabs. Fancy breakfasts. Souvenirs you don’t want but swear your cousin will love.
✈️ The Route: Madrid to Granada in five Days
This isn’t a whirlwind. It’s a sluggish, planned flavor of two places that feel like opposite ends of Spain’s character — Madrid all pulse and neon, Granada all whisper and shadow.

🏙️ Days 1–2: Madrid on a Scrappy Budget
Day 1: You land groggy, eyes full of airport grey. The Metro from Barajas to the metropolis costs just a few euros. Already, you’re saving. Drop your bag at Hostel One Madrid — shared dorm, not anything fancy, however smooth sufficient and full of chatter.
You take hold of a coffee on the bar (never at a table — desk service = better charge) and snag a menu del día for lunch — that blessed Spanish thing in which you get 3 courses and a drink for like $14. Yes, without a doubt. Lentil soup, grilled hake, flan. Done.
You wander. You breathe. You consider why you travel.
Dinner? Not a take a seat-down affair. This is a tapear night time — beer right here, olives there, another caña (beer) that incorporates croquetas without you even asking. It’s lovely chaos, and it slightly charges $eight overall.
Day 2: Wake past due. Free breakfast (toast and instantaneous espresso, but hi there, it’s free). You chase the free hour at the Prado Museum (6–eight PM most nights). You learn to love strolling — the high-quality matters in Madrid aren’t in the back of tickets. They’re inside the rhythm of the streets, the nook accordion player, the mild off the tiles of Gran Vía.
🚌 Day 3: The Bus South — Madrid to Granada
This day’s approximately motion. A $28 ALSA bus (e book beforehand!) whisks you down the backbone of Spain — golden fields, dusty roads, lengthy stretches where your mind stretch with them.
You arrive in Granada, drop your bag at El Granado Hostel (relaxed, earthy, desirable kitchen), and head out in search of your first beer. Granada’s rule: you order the drink, the food suggests up free. It’s now not a delusion. It’s a finances visitor’s love tale.

🕌 Days 4–5: Granada’s Secrets, and Budget Bliss
Day 4: Sunrise creeps up the hills and paints the Alhambra in heat mild. You pre-booked the General Ticket on line for approximately $16. Worth. Every. Cent. The gardens hum. The palace drips with Moorish surprise. You stroll slowly. You breathe deeply. You eat reasonably-priced afterward — every other menu del día, maybe $eleven here.
In the night, the Albaicín calls. Whitewashed alleys. Kids kicking footballs. A guy gambling guitar at Mirador San Nicolás with the Alhambra sparkling behind him. You don’t need a live performance. You’ve were given this.
Day 5: A few greater beers. A few more tapas. A few deep sighs because that is almost over, and also you realise you didn’t experience broke — you felt creative. You felt unsleeping. You felt like you’d earned every chunk, each view, every dusty sunbeam.
📊 Quick & Dirty Budget Recap (Per Day)
Category | Madrid Avg/Day | Granada Avg/Day |
Hostel Dorm | $25 | $18 |
Local Transport | $4 (Metro) | $3 (Walk + Bus) |
Food (2 meals) | $17 | $14 (thanks, tapas!) |
Museum/Attractions | Free–$5 | $8 (Alhambra split) |
Beer/Snacks | $4 | $3 |
Daily Total | $50–$53 | $46–$48 |
📍 Map Links You’ll Thank Yourself For
◼ Hostel One Madrid
◼ El Granado Hostel, Granada
◼ Bodegas Castañeda (Tapas Heaven)
◼ Mirador de San Nicolás
◼ ALSA Bus Station – Estación Sur
Also Read This:
- Best Of Spain Itinerary 10 Days: A Journey Through Fire, Flavor, and Soul
- Best Time to Visit Barcelona: Ultimate Guide to Exploring Spain’s Vibrant City
- 10 Helpful Budget Tips for Traveling the United Kingdom (UK)
🎒 Final Words from the Road
This isn’t luxury. It’s not room carrier or crisp linens. But it’s real. And there’s some thing about hearing your boots slap cobblestone after a $three espresso and a surprise tapa that makes you experience more alive than any 5-superstar resort ever could.
Fifty dollars a day? It’s tight. But it’s sufficient. Enough for taste, for adventure, for joy in small places — and definitely, that’s what journey’s simply manufactured from.
🙋♀️ FAQs
Is $50 a day realistic if I don’t stay in hostels?
If you want non-public rooms, anticipate $70–$80 in line with day. Budget motels and pensions may be low priced in Granada, but Madrid’s tougher without shared accommodations.
Are unfastened tapas in Granada really… excellent?
Shockingly, sure. Sometimes higher than what you’d pay for in tourist-heavy restaurants. Go wherein locals pass — the first drink gets you some thing basic, however by way of round three you is probably eating albondigas or garlicky grilled eggplant like royalty.
Is the Alhambra well worth buying?
Absolutely. Book on-line earlier (don’t wait until you arrive — it sells out), and don’t cheap out in this one. It’s the heart of Granada. The sort of region that stays in your head years after.
What’s the cheapest way to get among Madrid and Granada?
Buses (ALSA) are your nice buddy. Book 7–10 days in advance to get the lowest charge. Trains are faster, sure, however they’ll blow your $50 plan huge open.
Can vegetarians/vegans do Spain on a price range?
Yes — however with eyes open. Tapas way of life is meat-heavy, but you’ll find patatas bravas, pimientos de padrón, tortilla española, grilled mushrooms, and greater. Also, supermarkets deliver lots of veg staples in case you’re cooking.