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Posts this week in multiple locations in Spain and Italy. All popular locations for EFL teachers, but the numbers between the two countries tell two quite different stories once you look closely.
The salaries
🇪🇸
Spain
€960 – €2,000 / mo
£826–£1,720 / $1,103–$2,298
Average: £1,208 / $1,613 / €1,405
🇮🇹
Italy
€1,000 – €2,000 / mo
£860–£1,720 / $1,149–$2,298
Average: £1,178 / $1,574 / €1,370
Cost of living
Typical monthly costs — single person, modest lifestyle (GBP / USD / EUR)
Rent — 1-bed city-centre apartment
🇪🇸
£542 / $724 / €630
🇮🇹
£451 / $603 / €525
Food & groceries
🇪🇸
£197 / $263 / €229
🇮🇹
£176 / $235 / €205
Local transport
🇪🇸
£25 / $33 / €29
🇮🇹
£22 / $29 / €26
Going out & socialising
🇪🇸
£135 / $180 / €157
🇮🇹
£121 / $162 / €141
Estimated monthly total
🇪🇸
£899 / $1,201 / €1,046
🇮🇹
£770 / $1,029 / €896
Adjusted for city size: Spain figures averaged across 13 listing cities (SANT FELIU DE GUIXOLS, Malaga and Mijas/Fuengirola, valdemoro, Figueres, Toledo, Huelva, Jaén, Spain, Malaga, Caceres, Melilla, Madrid, Manresa) — 62% of the national hub baseline; Italy figures averaged across 15 listing cities (Cagliari, Soliera, MATERA, Giovinazzo, Acireale, Lecce, Cerignola, Reggio Calabria, Reggio di Calabria, Tropea, CASTROVILLARI, CATANIA, Rimini Italy, Foggia, Salerno/Eboli) — 55% of the national hub baseline.
Italy is roughly 11% cheaper to live in day-to-day than Spain, based on typical rent, food and transport costs.
Cost-of-living figures are indicative estimates compiled from publicly available sources including Numbeo, Mercer Cost of Living, and the Economist Intelligence Unit Worldwide Cost of Living survey, and are not sourced from TEFL.com listings.
Side by side
The verdict
🇪🇸Spain
Spain offers lifestyle, culture, language immersion. The average teaching salary works out to around €1,404 (£1,208 / $1,613)/mo across 14 job listing(s). Living costs here tend to run higher than in Italy, so factor that into the real take-home value.
🇮🇹Italy
Italy is known for lifestyle, culture, language immersion. The average teaching salary works out to around €1,370 (£1,178 / $1,574)/mo across 16 job listing(s). Day-to-day living costs are also roughly 11% lower than in Spain, stretching that salary further.
Spain or Italy? Either way, today's TEFL market offers real choice — and real opportunities to build a life abroad on a teacher's salary. Worth noting: Italy works out roughly 11% cheaper day-to-day, which can make a real difference to take-home value.
Browse Spain and Italy jobs below and at TEFL.com →
