The price v. quality debate
Is price the decisive factor, when you’re choosing a language course abroad?
For many people the answer is ‘yes’. Most of us don’t have the luxury of choosing a Spanish language school without even a glance at the fees.
But that doesn’t mean quality should come second. It is possible to find courses that fit smaller budgets and still deliver on tuition, course content, school premises and the overall experience.
One of the key factors when looking for a quality, low-cost Spanish course is choosing a cheaper destination.
Granada is officially the second cheapest city in Spain
Granada is a historic Andalusian university town with a long tradition in welcoming foreign language students. The beauty of Granada as a study destination is that it is offering something for all age groups – whilst being one of Spain’s cheapest cities.
According to a study by the Price Observatory of the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, released on 27th January 2014, Granada is only beaten by the city Avila when it comes to cheap living.
Cost of studying Spanish in Granada: cheap living and low cost Spanish courses
So what is the cost of studying in Granada? What will you pay for food, transport, entertainment, culture, and Spanish language courses? Let’s have a look…
1. Buying good food for less
If you’re happy to live frugally and cook at least some of your own meals, buy fresh produce in Granada. You’ll save a heap of money. Think of all those fresh baguettes, Serrano ham, ripe salad tomatoes, red wine and real cold pressed Extra Virgin olive oil… With approximately 30-40€ covering a well-planned weekly food shop, student life doesn’t get much better than this.
2. History and culture at a reasonable cost
If you enjoy history, sightseeing and cultural pursuits on a budget, avoid large cities like Madrid and Barcelona, where entry fees to cultural venues can be quite high. Granada has several historically important sites, that accessible even with a smaller budget.
Start at the Alhambra Castle for 8.50€ per student group-ticket, get lost in the winding cobblestone city centre (for free!), and visit an ample selection of cathedrals, churches, monuments and museums for between 1.50-4€. Many museums in Granada also have a ‘visitors’ day’ with reduced or free entry. Find out more about sightseeing prices on Granada’s Tourist Board website.
3. Eating out for free
Many people are gobsmacked to discover that many of Granada’s tapas bars offer you free food when you buy a drink. The offering depends on what the restaurant is cooking that day, so you could get a tapa (a portion or a bite) of paella or tortilla de papas, a ladleful of chickpea stew or a hot roll filled with jamón y queso. All dishes come with as much bread as you can eat and with two or three drinks at about 1-2.50€ each, you’ll return to your student digs with a full belly.
4. Entertainment
Granada is traditionally a student town. This means that there are plenty cheap nightlife venues geared for students, as well as reduced rate nights at Granada’s cinemas. Many of Granada’s food and drink establishments have joined the “anti-crisis” movement to combat the current economic downturn, offering a glass of draught beer for 1€ to keep customers coming in.
Granada is also famous for its flamenco tablaos, or bars where you can see and hear authentic flamenco artists sing, dance and play instruments, like the Spanish guitar. Go for lesser-known flamenco acts during weeknights at venues like La Tertulia and you could nab an entrance for around 4€, including a drink – or even attend flamenco, tango or salsa classes during the day.
If you are into hiking or skiing, Sierra Nevada is a 30-minute drive away. You can often get cheap last minute skiing offers for about 80€ per day, including the day’s ski pass, equipment rental and a private lesson. In the summer, cheap buses run up the mountain, leaving you at the start of some of the most popular mapped hiking routes.
5. Getting to and around Granada
Granada has a small airport with good national connections from Madrid and Barcelona, but only a few international flights come in. You can usually find cheap flights to Madrid from anywhere in the world, though, and then catch the Madrid-Granada train for 62€. This journey takes 4,5 hours.
Granada’s city centre is small enough to get around on foot, but if you want to catch a city bus, a single journey costs 1,20€. Should you need to catch a bus every day, with a 10€ charge card your fee for each trip gets reduced to 0,79€.
6. And finally, cheap, but good Spanish language schools
In fourth place: Granada University
Academically, Granada University is recognised as one of Spain’s best learning institutions. The university’s Spanish language school runs courses for all levels, and you can pick extra subjects like Hispanic studies and Spanish culture to complement your course programme.
Prices start at 397€ (£329 or $543) for a two-week course with 20 weekly Spanish lessons. You can add any number of weeks up to a full term. For example a 12-week course costs 1,879€ (£1,558 or $2,572).
Find our more about this school and its range of courses here.
In third place: Instituto Mediterraneo Sol
The IMS offers truly solid language education with three levels of intensive courses suited to all Spanish language students from beginners to advanced, with over 20 years of experience in teaching Spanish to foreign students. The school doesn’t have a registration fee, and lends all the study materials to students for free, which all helps to cut costs.
The school’s standard two-week intensive course, including 20 Spanish lessons per week, costs 361€ (£299 or $494). If you need to up the pace and length, you can add more weeks and lessons. For example, a six-week intensive course with 30 lessons per week would cost you 1341€ (£1112 or $1836).
Find our more about this school and its range of courses here.
In second place: Escuela Delengua
If you are after a young, fun and very reasonably priced language school right in Granada’s city centre, Escuela de Lengua Granada is a good choice. Degree-qualified, native Spanish teachers teach at the school’s premises in the Albayzin quarter, close to culture and nightlife.
A two-week intensive course is comprised of 20 Spanish lessons per week and costs 247€ (£205 or $338). The four-week intensive course with 20 group lessons + 10 one-to-one lessons still only costs 1088€ (£902 or $1489).
Find our more about this school and its range of courses here.
The cheapest: Proyecto Español Granada
This is currently one of the best cheap schools on the market. It forms part of a chain accredited by the Cervantes Institute, the highest quality stamp awarded to Spanish language schools in Spain. The Granada branch is located right in Granada’s historic centre and the premises offer excellent resources – free internet, computers and a library.
For an intensive two-week course that includes 15 Spanish lessons each week, prices start at only 181€ (£155 or $234). But if 3 lessons per day sound too little to you, even the 25-lessons-per-week package only costs 238€ (£197 or $325). Proyecto Granada’s four-week intensive course with 25 group lessons + 5 individual lessons per week still only costs 817€ (£677 or $1118).
Find our more about this school and its range of courses here.
