Is a Hostal in Spain the same as a hostel?

No, they are not the same. A hostel is an inexpensive accomodation where you generally stay in dorm-like conditions, though they sometimes have private rooms, too. They usually have communal cooking facilities, sometimes laundry facilities and internet access. A hostal, on the other hand, is a small, often family-run, hotel. The ones I have stayed in have also had free wifi. They are a bit more basic than larger hotels, but are comfortable and clean, with their own bathroom. Last year when I was there, the prices ran around 40 euros for a single room in cities like Salamanca, Gijon, and Cordoba.

Actually, hostal rooms sometimes have their own bathrooms. My daughter and I stayed in a hostal right next to the Cathedral and we had a sink in the room, toilet and shower down the hall -- but the price was certainly right.

We've stayed in two different hostals in Madrid, and one in Granada. All were nice, clean, and well-located, and all had en suite bathrooms. And the price was right at all of them. None of them served breakfast, however. But they all were within minutes of bars or cafés, so that was not a problem.

A hostal is a small hotel. They aren't fancy, typically family owned and can run the gamut from really charming, cozy rooms to surprisingly nice, large, modern rooms to really not good at all rooms with no charm (empty walls, empty floor, and bed that needs to be replaced) and limited facilities. I generally paid under 50 euro for a double and most of the places I found I'd happily stay again.

I'd compare them to Pensions elsewhere but Spain also has Pensions. (I stayed at a big modern hotel, outside the center, in Seville)