Living in Spain as a Pakistani student: money, housing, work and daily life
Spain has 210 English-taught programmes in our catalogue. The visa money is low — €600 a month, the national IPREM benchmark — and the work rule is one of the best in Europe: 30 hours a week, automatically, with the student authorisation. What changes your budget is the city: a room in central Madrid costs twice what it costs in Granada.
Figures come from the Spanish consular service (exteriores.gob.es), the Ministry of Inclusion and Migration, and the universities' own housing pages, checked in September 2026.
What a month costs — pick your city first
Spain uses the euro. UC3M puts a student month in Madrid at €600–1,200 all in. The universities publish their own room figures:
| City | Room in a shared flat | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Madrid, centre | ≈ €400 | UC3M |
| Madrid, Getafe / Leganés (campus towns) | ≈ €250 | UC3M |
| Barcelona | at or above Madrid prices | |
| Valencia (university residence, per month) | €351–514 | University of Valencia |
| Granada | €200–300 | University of Granada |
| Salamanca, Seville, Zaragoza | similar to Granada | ask the university |
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| Food (cooking yourself) | €200–280 |
| Public transport (youth/student pass) | €20–40 |
| Private health insurance (required, no co-pay) | ≈ €45 |
| Phone + internet | €15–25 |
| Total, Granada or Valencia | ≈ €550–750 |
| Total, Madrid or Barcelona | ≈ €800–1,100 |
What you must show for the visa
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Living costs to show | 100% of IPREM ≈ €600 / month |
| Typical total for one year | ≈ €7,200 |
| Student visa fee | ≈ €80 |
| Also required | Private health insurance with no co-payments for the whole stay; a clean police certificate, attested and translated |
| Accepted proof | Your own statement or a notarised parental sponsorship |
Tuition at public universities is set per region and per credit; our catalogue shows what each programme charges — the median is about €2,100 a semester for non-EU students, and some regions charge far less.
Finding a room
- Shared flat (piso compartido): how most Spanish students live. Idealista, Badi, Fotocasa and the university housing office. Deposit of one to two months; a written contract.
- University residence (residencia / colegio mayor): run by the university or partners; more expensive than a shared flat but simpler for the first year. Apply through the university in spring.
- Campus towns: in Madrid, living in Getafe or Leganés next to campus halves the rent of the centre and adds twenty minutes on the train.
How to not get scammed
- No deposit before a viewing — video at minimum.
- Bank transfer after a signed contract. Never Western Union or a gift card.
- You must be able to register at the address (empadronamiento) at the town hall — it is required for the TIE. A landlord who forbids it is one to avoid.
Working while you study — 30 hours, no permit
Since the 2022 reform, a higher-education student's stay authorisation itself allows work, employed or self-employed, up to 30 hours a week, with no separate permit — as long as the work is compatible with the studies.
| Situation | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Up to 30 h/week, employed or self-employed | Yes — automatic with the student authorisation |
| More than 30 h/week | No |
| Curricular internship | Yes |
| On a tourist or Schengen C visa | No |
Real jobs: hospitality and tourism (Barcelona, Valencia, the south), delivery, English tutoring, call centres for English speakers, and tech internships in Madrid and Barcelona. Spanish opens most doors; the tourist cities are the exception.
Your first month: the TIE
For a stay over 180 days you must apply for the Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) within one month of entering Spain, at the immigration office or police station of your province — appointment (cita previa) first, and appointments in Madrid and Barcelona fill weeks ahead. Book from Pakistan if you can.
| When | Do this | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Register at the town hall (empadronamiento) with your lease | Needed for the TIE and everything municipal |
| Week 1 | Buy a Spanish SIM (Digi, Lowi, Movistar, Vodafone) | Appointments and banking run on SMS |
| Week 1 | Book the TIE appointment (cita previa) online | Slots are scarce; the one-month clock is running |
| Week 2 | Open a bank account (Santander, BBVA, CaixaBank, or online: N26/Revolut as a bridge) | Rent and wages |
| Week 2 | Enrol at the university and collect the student card | Discounts and the transport youth pass |
| Within 1 month | TIE appointment: passport, visa, empadronamiento, photos, fee | Your residence card; strict deadline |
Weather and what to bring
Madrid in January averages 6°C (2–12°C) — colder than students expect, and dry; July averages 25°C with highs of 34°C. Barcelona and Valencia are milder in winter and humid in summer; Granada has real winter nights and hot summers. Spain is the one country in this series where your Lahore summer clothes are the main wardrobe.
| Month (Madrid) | Typical daytime | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Sep–Oct | 18–28°C | Summer clothes, a light jacket for October |
| Nov–Feb | 8–14°C | A proper coat — flats are poorly heated — scarf, closed shoes |
| Mar–May | 14–24°C | Layers |
| Jun–Aug | 28–35°C | Summer clothes, sun protection |
Halal food, prayer, and being Muslim in Spain
- Mosques in Madrid (the M-30 Islamic Cultural Centre and many neighbourhood mosques), Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Seville, Zaragoza. Spain's Muslim community is largely Moroccan, with a large Pakistani community in Barcelona (El Raval) and Valencia. Some universities have a multi-faith room; ask.
- Halal butchers and grocers in every city; Pakistani restaurants and shops concentrated in Barcelona and Valencia. In supermarkets read labels — pork (cerdo) is in most cured meats and many dishes.
- Ramadan: no timetable changes; lecturers are generally understanding. Community iftars in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia.
- Alcohol: part of social life; declining is unremarkable.
Where the Pakistani students are
Barcelona has the largest Pakistani community in Spain, then Madrid and Valencia; Granada, Salamanca and Seville have smaller student groups. If your programme runs in both Madrid and Valencia or Granada, the smaller city saves €200–400 a month for the same degree and has an easier TIE appointment.
Spain is generous on money and work and strict on the calendar: empadronamiento in week one, the TIE within a month. Choose the city with the budget in mind — Granada and Valencia are the same Spain at half the rent. Use the Programmes page to filter Spain, and register free to see which of the 210 you qualify for.