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At the start of each year, prices are reassessed in different sectors. What will be the changes for the wallets of Barcelona residents in 2025? Equinox takes stock.
What increases
Electricity
After a series of increases never seen in the history of the country since 2021, the upward trend will continue in 2025, notably with the definitive return of VAT to 21%. Due to the energy crisis, VAT was effectively blocked. This return to the starting point will be effective for all customers, both on the regulated market and on the free market. The price of electricity therefore continues to break records, exceeding 320 euros per MW.
The gas
Natural gas will increase by 5.97% from January 1, 2025. Concretely, for a household consuming around 5,000 kWh per year, its bill would increase by 4.6%.
The price of public transport
The Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) is increasing the prices of its Barcelona public transport by 3% in 2025. The 50% reduction for T-Jove and T subscriptions is maintained. The T-Usual will go from €21.35 to €22, the T-Jove from €42.70 to €44 and the one-way ticket from €2.55 to €2.65.
Concerning the rest of the subscriptions, the T-familiar will increase from €10.70 to €11.05; the T-dia from €11.20 to €11.55; and the T-grup from €84.80 to €87.35. The new rates will come into effect on January 15, 2025.
Tobacco
The increase in the cost of tobacco packets will be noted as a consequence of the increase in shipping costs but also of the special taxes that the Spanish Government plans to apply, with an increase of 5.5%, with the aim of reaching 6,880 million euros.
Water
The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) has approved an increase in the price of water in the Catalan capital and 22 municipalities for the second year in a row. The increase amounts to +5.9, on average the bill should increase by two euros per household in 2025.
Fuel
The Catalan Government must manage to implement, before March, an increase in diesel as demanded by Brussels. A decision which will make this fuel more expensive by around 11 cents; around six euros more per 50 liter tank.
Basic food products
2025 marks the end of the extraordinary VAT reduction on basic food products: the price of eggs, fruit and bread increases. The price of these foods will increase from 2% to 4% VAT. Pastes and oils like sunflower will also become more expensive, with VAT rising from 7.5% to 10%. As a reminder, the reduction in VAT was applied as part of the extraordinary measure adopted by the government, at the beginning of 2023, to try to mitigate the galloping inflation resulting from the war in Ukraine which is, moreover, still d news.
Retirement pensions
Pensions increase by 0.9% for general benefits (people who have contributed) and by 1.8% for non-contributory pensions. This means that the average pension in 2025 will amount to €1,024 per month. Please note that the amount of pensions varies between €522.4 and €2,707.49. For people who have not contributed or do not have enough years of activity, the amount reaches €402.72.
The price of tolls
In the rest of Spain, the price of motorways will also increase in 2025. The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has actually updated motorway toll rates, which from January 1 will increase between 3.84 % and 5.45%, depending on the specific conditions of each concession. The new pricing applies to AP-51, AP-61, AP-6, AP-53, AP-66, AP-7 Alicante-Cartagena, AP -7 Málaga-Guadiaro, AP-68, AP-71 , AP-9 and AP-46.
What is falling
The tax on waste collection for small businesses
The Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) plans to reduce the municipal waste collection tax for small businesses by 40%. The smaller the surface area of the business, the more the tax amount will be reduced. AMB points out that 70% of Barcelona's businesses have a surface area of less than 100 m2.
The mortgage market
In the housing sector, the Euribor, which is the index most used in Spain to calculate variable mortgage loans, has been falling consecutively since March 2024. It managed to fall by 3% in September 2024 to finally close the year at 2.43%. This has reduced the quota of many households renewing their contract month after month. Analysts predict a downward trend in 2025, given the reduction in rates by the European Central Bank (ECB).
What doesn't change
The tax on waste collection
The Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) has also approved not to change the waste collection rate. The latter was set up last year to raise awareness among residents of Barcelona and surrounding areas (36 municipalities). The tax amounts to between 27 and 51 euros per household.
The taxis
The council of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) has approved that taxi fares will remain the same in 2025. The base is 2.25 euros, the price per kilometer is 1.18 euros, the waiting hour at 22.6 euros and airport surcharges 4.3 euros.
Train tickets
Renfe prices will not change in 2025 with an average price of €27 for a Barcelona-Madrid journey. The more than 500 kilometers of double track connecting Madrid and Barcelona are today one of the most used high-speed infrastructures in Europe. The loss of Renfe's monopoly in 2021, which was until then the only operator, to the benefit of Ouigo SNCF, led to a drop in travel prices between the two cities. Today, a ticket for this line is on average 65% cheaper than in 2019.
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