Shopping in Spain for Expats Moving Abroad
- Maria DiCicco
- 14 minutes ago
- 11 min read
When my family first purchased a holiday home in Spain, I was on the internet for weeks trying to figure out where to buy things I needed for the move.
Down to hardware stores and picking out furniture, I wanted to be well prepared for the international move to come, and it took a lot of work to piece it all together.
Here I share a basic directory of shopping in Spain - whether you are just moving in, staying for a study abroad program, or planning a long term holiday.
Having these resources up your sleeve will be a great help!
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In this article find details on:
Short on Time?Stock up on the essentials for a move to Spain with some helpful tips from someone who has done it! My favorites from every category include:
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Groceries and Food Shopping in Spain
The standards are:
Mercadona
Al Campo
Dia
Carrefour
Hipercor at El Corte Ingles
Lidl
Central Markets
All are good and all offer different things. Stick to the most local shop for your basics, and expand out for the benefits of favorite brands, higher quality products, etc.
You'll learn as you go once you start shopping, but for us, we enjoy Mercadona for our every day shopping, Dia for quick buys and open-on-Sunday needs, and Carrefour or the other giant markets for parties and events.
We'll shop occasionally at Costco, but that's more for fun than for purchasing. The Central Markets and local fruit or vegetable shops are nice for browsing the freshest picks, and are more of an experience than just hitting the local grocery store.
You'll find all manner of animal parts in these stores, so prepare yourself for that if you're squeemish.
Worth noting for grocery shopping - ALWAYS use a glove for touching produce in Spain. It's such a big deal if you don't - I've been yelled at to the point of tears!
A few other good things to note for grocery shopping:
Use a glove for handling produce
Get zumo (fresh orange juice) from a machine - grab the bottle size you like, fill it up, and pay by the bottle size
Milk and eggs are shelf stable - you will not find them in the refrigerated section. Sidebar: if you are moving or traveling to Spain with kids, here's a perfect opportunity to educate them! I wrote a scavenger hunt style kid's travel journal for Spain with little tidbits like this in it. Check it out on Amazon, and see the photos below for an idea of what's inside!
If you are buying a jamon, you need to also have a jamonero (a stand) and a knife. Some box kits sell these all together and it makes for a great starter pack.
Buy local wine. Wine is always inexpensive, and it's best to purchase wine from the neighboring regions!
Liquor is sold in grocery stores. Hooray!
Plastic items like sandwich baggies are expensive - like 10 in a pack for a few euros. Everyone is very conscious of plastic usage, so if you need these in your life, stock up in the States at the dollar store.
Always bring your own shopping bag or shopping cart! This is a must-have. If you want to be like a real Spaniard, then you need to buy a Rolser shopping cart. Literally everyone has one! They don't come cheap, but you can buy one on Amazon before you arrive. You'll need it for EVERY shopping outing.
Home Goods and Furniture Stores in Spain
IKEA
For me, IKEA is like my holy ground. I'm so obsessed that I even went to the IKEA Hotel and Musuem in Sweden. You'll find an IKEA in every major city, and you'll find IKEA in every corner of my home. 'Nuff said, yea?
Maybe not. IKEA in Spain is next level. We go to IKEA sometimes specifically to eat. Their breakfast of pan tomaca with jamon or their tortilla espanola are outrageously good, and at lunch they serve up huge hunks of codillo (like a big pork knuckle). Their croquettes might very well be among the best I've ever had, too.
Even better? You can pair your shopping experience with a plate of jamon and kikos and a mini bottle or wine or local beer.
Kids can use the kids club or play in the playground while you eat.
It's all kind of amazing, if you ask me!
Conforama
A French furniture company, I've browsed the aisles of this store for inspiration in my tiny Spanish apartment more times than I can count. It's affordable, and has some great options for DIY IKEA alternatives.
This compact table and chair set is really popular all over Spanish kitchens. We have one and it works as part buffet, part laundry folding table, part office/desk, craft table, jamon holding table, and then some. It's very versatile!
Casa
This is a clever little home goods store full of quirky tableware and decor for the trendy gal. I love walking around in there to see what I can find for my dinner table!
Jysk
Jysk is similar to Casa but with a lot more bedding, towels and things like that. A typical shop in Spain!
Stores That Kind of Have it All
Chinese "Bazaars", or "El Chino" Hiper Markets
The name isn't super, but these Chinese stores are flipping amaze-balls. Yea, amaze-balls. I think they also go by 'hiper' or 'hipermarket' and essentially one stop in there and you could buy everything you need for life, except for food.
You'll find stationery, hardware supplies, seasonal decor, a randomly gigantic amount of all-the-time costumes (are people hosting costume parties that I am missing or something?), and house wares for every possible need.
It's an emporium of emporium, and I often will visit half a dozen in one day because they are always open! Sunday? Monday? No problem. Holidays? No problem. Always open. Gotta love 'em.
They compact in compact corner sizes and giant warehouses. Go to all of them!
Pepco
A newer discovery for me, they used to have ties to Dollarama (which I detail in my Norwich, England article), and I have to tell you - it's a treasure trove of deals, steals and end of season discounts.
In other words, I walk out of here with bags full of fun finds like seasonal decor, children's clothing, nice blouses for myself, housewares, kitchenware and more. LOVE.
Action
This Dutch find-everything-and-then-some store similar to Aldi's "Aisle of Shame" (iykyk), which for me is a BIG deal. I mean, I get excited anywhere in the world when I see LIDL (like this story in Le Havre cruise port) or ALDI, basically anywhere, including Germany. The aisle of shame to those who don't know, is essentially a gift emporium for clever items you might want in your home.
Action slays the aisle of shame by creating an ENTIRE STORE of shame, where literally everything I touch I want in my cart. It's a good bind to be in, especially when the prices are so affordable!
Carrefour and Al Campo
I use these two interchangeably, as they are more or less the same offering, it just so happens that Carrefour is more prevalent near where I live in Zaragoza, so I go there more often. In essence, it's like the Walmart of Europe, but way nicer. So maybe like...the Target?
You can get anything ranging from electronics, housewares, groceries, and clothing. I stock my kitchen and buy great bargains basics in their clothing section all in one trip. I've purchased air fryers, kitchenware, seasonal decor, Christmas gifts and so much more here.
One interesting note - they don't sell toaster ovens like we have in the United States. This was quite the ordeal for me to come to terms with. At home I have a toaster oven/air fryer and I use it for all sorts of stuff from reheating pizza to crisping up some breaded appetizers.
In Spain, they have three products:
Toasters: the pop up kind, or a flat stovetop style with a grill grate
Microwaves: these come basic or they double as ovens that can literally cook a rotisserie chicken. What?
Ovens: countertop ovens that do all of the above
And yet, the elusive tabletop toaster oven is an oddity to find (I did eventually find one). I was toasting my bagels in our regular oven for years. Finally I can have a proper bagel with cream cheese when I want one!
If you need, you can also buy your bedroom mattress at these stores, along with couches, desks and other furniture basics.
I especially like browsing their food and wine. Everything is amazingly inexpensive compared to the US and it's a joy to shop there!
Forewarning: you will spend hours in Carrefour. Hours! Plan ahead, and if you find a Carrefour outlet - lucky you!
TEDi
This German retailer is my favorite around-the-corner shop in Zaragoza, a place where I can browse and find art supplies for my kid, need-to-have items for the apartment, or seasonal decor to enliven my space. It's a definite favorite.
Costco
We actually bought our Costco membership in Spain for more than half of what it costs in the United States. The vibe and even the clientele are nearly identical across the globe (we've been in Merida, Mexico and Zaragoza, Spain so far) and it's a great place to meet other Americans.
Just don't buy the imported stuff - a pack of 5 Kraft Mac & Cheese boxes costs $15 - outrageous! Stick to the local goods for the best deals. Oh, and they definitely still have the cheap hot dogs.
Amazon.es is the Amazon address for Spain. Navigating this site will be really frustrating at first, but here's some tricks:
Learn the Spanish name for products and search using that phrase
Find products that can be shipped to a pickup center (like a post office) OR, note that home deliveries can be exceptionally challenging to schedule as you often need to be home to let people in the building.
Bring your passport to pickup items at the post office
Amazon products available in the US are not always available on the Spanish website, and vice versa. Search products on the .es site for a better representation of product availability.
I bought my couch and my coffee table on Amazon.es, both serving dual purpose - this is important for space in Spain!
Hardware Stores
They are all more or less the same, but include huge chains like Leroy Merlin or Brico Depot. Anything with the word 'brico' is a good bet. Bauhaus is another one.
We eventually redid our bathroom floors, and found that these hardware stores are all generally like a Home Depot or a Lowe's in the States with one super strange exception - if you have a fireplace in Spain good luck finding regular old wood logs.
Instead, they have pellet burners or strange condensed sawdust logs. I think we scoured a dozen stores before we gave up and realized that Spain just does the whole fireplace thing differently.
Also to note - be prepared to ask for things in Spanish, using Google Translate if you need to. Further, be prepared that the item you need doesn't exist in Spain. Like the logs and the toaster oven, there's some things that are more challenging to find.
Local corner shops will also carry a lot of the things you need, including key cutting for spare keys and simple tools.
I highly recommend getting odds and ends at your local Chinese stores - they are perfect for last minute 'oh I forgot to get that' type of moment. We even purchased cans of paint for our last paint job!
Fashion and Clothing Stores in Spain
In addition to some of my favorite Spanish brands like Desigual, Bimba y Lola, Sfera and Soruka (more on those in a forthcoming article), the stores below are tried and true and never let me down for good finds in the fashion department!
Weekly Markets and Rastros
This is where the fun stuff happens! Every week (and sometimes twice a week), towns and cities roll out the bargain bins with 1 euro piles of clothes to rummage through, or even leftover fabric scraps if you like to make your own curtains.
You can find things from shoes to undergarments, and other odds and ends for gifting seasons.
Often I like to purchase my winter coats from the Rastro, simply because they are cheap or gently used. Occasionally you can get new stuff too.
If you're into flea market vibes, this is always a fun time.
C&A
This clothing brand is fun for browsing their sales, and I often find the cutest things like this outrageous lime green jacket with shoulder pads, or fantastic European styles for my daughter.
Primark
My visit to the Primark in Rotterdam was legendary, and its Christmas-time deals led me to obsession. So much so, that I covered the Grand Opening of the new Primark at my local Florida Mall in Orlando for Orlando Parenting Magazine.
I witnessed the Primark mania first hand - hundreds, maybe thousands of people lined up to shop in the new store on the first day. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Now, Primark is a stop at every Spanish mall for me, namely for their amazing travel suitcases and clothing options. They've got it all, and I've purchased it all at Primark.
Decathalon
Although a sporting goods store wouldn't normally be an obsession for me, they carry one thing that I can't get enough of - and if you know me personally, you've probably received one from me as a gift - it's their packable and lightweight backpacks!
For as little as 3,99 euros they have cute styles of little day bags you can pack up into a ball in your pocket or purse, perfect for touring around Spain. For 7,99 they have solid backpacks of the same size. I have several versions of each and have a hard time leaving the store without buying more!
New Yorker
For some reason this German fashion company is like a gift from the gods for my dad and husband. They love everything in the men's section, and often walk out with giant bags full of basics, button ups and sweaters. It's in nearly every mall, and the men in my family can't get enough of it.
Hair Cuts and Other Services
Getting your hair cut abroad is such a rewarding and thrilling experience - and it doesn't matter if you speak the language!
I get my hair cut for only 10 euros! A cut and color runs around 19 euros. Can't beat that.
In addition, I like to bring my daughter in with me, and we both get our nails painted for just 5 euros.
The trick is to look for salons run by Chinese people. Honestly! They are great and always very affordable. I have such a good time doing this.
For other services like banking, electrodomesticos (dishwasher, washing machine, etc), air conditioning, and other needs you have to look locally and don't be afraid to pick up the phone or show up in person.
We bank through Banco Sabadell, which has a nice program for international accounts.
Top TakeawaysIt's best to make a list of everything you might need for each room in the house, down to paint, lighting and electrical, and absolute essentials for the first few days of a move to Spain. We set up an entire bed set, couch and dining table (plus paint and electrical!) in one day's work. AND my daughter had to go to the Emergency Room that same night. It was chaos. BUT, with proper preparation and a ton of deep dives on some of these store websites, you'll be good to go in no time! Good luck with your move! |
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