Spain on a budget- can it be done?

Sure you can....Spain's probably the cheapest country in western Europe. Hostels from $20/night, cheap and comfortable bus service across the country, and cheap museum admissions (eg. The Prado, 50% off for students under 25 or free all day Sundays)....it can't be beat!

So... you think I could do it for $500 or less? Really??

Less than $85 a day? Probably not, especially if you're traveling alone. Wife and I can do Spain on a wee bit more than that, but that's per person aportioning car and gas between the two of us and minimum nights in major cities.

Trains are the obvious alternative, but "doing" Spain covers a lot of miles. You'd need to make a list of spots and check what the fares would be.

Barcelona hostels, for example, are running about fifteen bucks per person per night for a dorm and about twenty-five for a private.

Figure one bought meal and breakfast and lunch as stuff from grocery store and you're looking at another twenty-five bucks or so each day.

Add maybe fifteen bucks more for metro/bus and entrance fees.

That's about sixty bucks plus train fares. It would be really close.

Another alternative would be to stay in hostals (note spelling) which are usually small, simple, family-run hotels. Price for two in a room would probably beat two beds in a hostel.

Still another idea would be to not try to go all the way south, but do something like Barcelona - Pamplona - Bilbao with maybe a dip to Madrid.

Good luck.

Really helpful information! Thank you! What if I just decided to stay in one city? Like Barcelona or one of the coastal towns for the whole time? Do you think that would be more doable?

Yes.

Any time you eliminate long-distance travel, you'll be saving yourself money. But if you want to "do Spain," pick Madrid as your home base. Wonderful nightlife, lots of culture (if you're so inclined), great people, and cheap hostel accommodations. Transportation within Madrid is extensive and inexpensive, with a 10-ride Metro and bus ticket costing 9 Euro.
As well, places like Toledo and Segovia are within easy reach..Segovia by bus is about 13.40 Euro round trip, at 75 minutes each way....Toledo by bus is about 90 minutes, with return tickets at 8.50 Euro.
As Ed says, buying fixings in a grocery store will help cut down on your food budget. And as you may have discovered already, the ubiqutious donar-kebab places give you an inexpensive meal that will include at least some vegetables! They're everywhere in Madrid.

YES you can get by inespensively, maybe not as low as you want, but close to it.

Suggestion: Check out the Pueblo Ingles and the Vaughantown Programs -- you speak English to help the Spanish participants improve their English, you in return receive full room and board at a first class location for a week... www.vaughantown.com... what could be better!! and the people you meet and the places you see, WOW!!!

YES you can get by inespensively, maybe not as low as you want, but close to it.

Suggestion: Check out the Pueblo Ingles and the Vaughantown Programs -- you speak English to help the Spanish participants improve their English, you in return receive full room and board at a first class location for a week... www.vaughantown.com... what could be better!! and the people you meet and the places you see, WOW!!!

The Pueblo Ingles program, which runs a week at a time (Friday to Friday) can actually be found here. It's completely separate from the Vaughan program.

I did it for even less -- $40 a day in Madrid -- when I was a student... but was not honest for some sleeping accomodations (one person rented room -- six piled in...) and unsafe for others (bench in train station)... neither of which are a good idea... and that was a long time ago, too...

$85 a day is skin of your teeth tight, but do-able if you stay put in one location. I'll second the recommendation that Madrid be that location over Barcelona -- or are you going in beach weather?

Remember that picnics stretch the budget -- hit a market to buy your lunch and soak up the ambience of a park. Only go to a restaurant for one nice meal a day. (My wife and I still do this, though the budget is no longer a big concern -- -- we think European groceries / markets are fun.)