16 Ways To Say Money In Spanish And Dinero Spanish Slangs (With Examples)
Money, money, money – whether you like it or not, it’s part of our lives. And it can be important, too.
How do you talk about money in Spanish? How much do people earn in Spanish-speaking countries? And are there useful sayings about money in Spanish?
Well, you can find answers to these questions in this blog post. But before we share everything we know about this topic, here’s another great video brought to you by Lingo Mastery on how to talk about money.
In this post, you’ll learn 15 ways to say money in Spanish, and we’ll even share Spanish idioms and background information with infographics on how much people earn in Spanish language speaking regions.
The 3 most common ways to say money in Spanish
To start with, there is Spanish vocabulary that people use all over the world: you can translate these words and expressions to refer to money in Spanish the same way every time.

To help you out, we’ve put the English translations into brackets right after the Spanish words and phrases here:
1. Dinero (Money)
Dinero is the most common and neutral way to say money in Spanish.
It’s used in formal and informal situations, and you can use it when talking about money in general or specific amounts.
Here’s how you could use it in context:
- ¿Tienes dinero para el cine? (Do you have money for the movies?) – This is a casual way to ask a friend if they can afford to go to the movies.
- El dinero no crece en los árboles. (Money doesn’t grow on trees.) – You might hear parents say this to their children when teaching about the value of money.
- Necesito ahorrar dinero para mis vacaciones. (I need to save money for my vacation.) – This is a common phrase when discussing financial goals.
2. Plata (Money, cash)
Plata literally means “silver,” but it’s used as slang for money in many Spanish-speaking countries, especially in Latin America – more on this later, because it can have different meaning as a “normal” word and as a Spanish slang.
It’s a bit more informal than dinero and is used in everyday conversations among friends and family.
Like this:
- ¿Me prestas un poco de plata? (Can you lend me some cash?) – This is a casual way to ask a friend for a small loan.
- No tengo ni plata para el bus. (I don’t even have money for the bus.) – You might use this to express that you’re completely broke.
- Esa chaqueta cuesta un montón de plata. (That jacket costs a ton of money.) – This is another colloquial way to say something is expensive.
3. Efectivo (Cash)
Efectivo specifically refers to cash! You can use this expression when you want to say you want to pay with cashed, instead of phrases uses to express other forms of payment like credit cards or checks.
For example:
- ¿Aceptan efectivo o solo tarjeta? (Do you accept cash or only card?) – This is a common question when making a purchase.
- Siempre llevo un poco de efectivo por si acaso. (I always carry a little cash just in case.) – This expresses a habit of being prepared.
- El taxi solo acepta efectivo, no tarjetas. (The taxi only accepts cash, not cards.) – This is useful information when using transportation services.
Slang for money in Spanish language regions
And then, there are slang expressions when you’re speaking Spanish in different regions. Spanish speakers use these words differently depending on where you are.

4. Pasta (dough, cash) – Spain
Pasta is a very common slang term for money in Spain, used in casual conversations.
- ¿Tienes pasta para salir esta noche? (Do you have dough to go out tonight?)
5. Pavo (turkey, buck) – Spain
Pavo is used to refer to a single euro, similar to how “buck” is used for a dollar in English.
- Ese café cuesta dos pavos. (That coffee costs two bucks.)
6. Guita (cash, dough) – Spain, Argentina
Guita is another casual way to refer to money, often used when talking about larger amounts. This expression is used both in Spain and in Argentina.
- Necesito conseguir más guita para comprar un coche. (I need to get more dough to buy a car.)
7. Lana (wool, cash) – Mexico
Lana is one of the most common slang terms for money in Mexico, used in everyday situations.
- No tengo lana para ir al cine. (I don’t have cash to go to the movies.)
8. Feria (fair, money) – Mexico
Feria usually refers to smaller amounts of money or change.
- ¿Me das feria para el autobús? (Can you give me some change for the bus?)
9. Morralla (small change, loose cash) – Mexico
Morralla specifically refers to loose change or small bills.
- Solo me queda morralla en el bolsillo. (I only have loose change left in my pocket.)
10. Mosca (fly, money) – Argentina
Mosca is another casual term for money, often used when talking about having or needing cash.
- ¿Tienes mosca para prestarme? (Do you have any cash to lend me?)
11. Billete (bill, cash) – Colombia, Chile
Billete can refer to paper money or cash in general.
- Necesito cambiar este billete de cincuenta mil. (I need to change this fifty thousand bill.)
12. Real (royal, money) – Venezuela
Real is used to refer to money in general, despite being an old currency name.
- No me queda ni un real en la cartera. (I don’t have a single penny left in my wallet.)
13. Palo (stick, a lot of money) – Venezuela
Palo usually refers to a large amount of money, often a million of the local currency.
- Ese carro cuesta como tres palos. (That car costs like three million.)
14. Luca(s) (grand, thousand) – Peru, Chile
In Peru, a luca typically refers to 1000 soles (the local currency). It’s also used in Chile for Chilean pesos.
- Este celular me costó dos lucas. (This cell phone cost me two thousand soles.)
15. Pisto (money, cash) – Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras
Pisto is used in countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to refer to money.
- ¿Tienes pisto para la fiesta? (Do you have cash for the party?)
16. Varo (cash, money) – Central America, Mexico
Varo is another term for money used in parts of Central America and Mexico.
- Me quedé sin varo a mitad del mes. (I ran out of cash in the middle of the month.)
Local sayings about money in Spanish
Do you know some sayings about money in your native language? Well, some of these sayings could also be used in Spanish!
These ones are the most common ones – they could help you out sound more natural when you’re learning Spanish:
Spanish | English |
---|---|
Estar sin blanca | To be broke (literally: to be without a white) |
Costar un ojo de la cara | To cost an arm and a leg |
A precio de oro | At a very high price (literally: at the price of gold) |
Ser un manirroto | To be a spendthrift |
Estar con el agua al cuello | To be in financial trouble (literally: to have water up to your neck) |
Dar gato por liebre | To rip someone off (literally: to give cat instead of hare) |
Tirar la casa por la ventana | To spare no expense (literally: to throw the house out the window) |
No tener donde caerse muerto | To be extremely poor (literally: to not have a place to fall dead) |
Hacer su agosto | To make a killing (literally: to make one’s August) |
Nadar en la abundancia | To be rolling in money (literally: to swim in abundance) |
Estar a dos velas | To be broke (literally: to be at two candles) |
El dinero no crece en los árboles | Money doesn’t grow on trees |
Tener más hambre que el perro de un ciego | To be extremely hungry (used for being very poor) |
Ser un tacaño | To be a cheapskate |
How Spanish-speaking regions earn they money?
Although the official language in these countries is the same, you’ve got to take it into account that the way they talk about money in Spanish could be connected to how much people earn in these countries. The average yearly salary is way higher in Spain than in Mexico for example.
We made a comparison between average salary in some Spanish-speaking countries. All of the stats are up-to-date, as to the latest census according to national institutions in given countries:

Country | GDP per capita (USD) |
---|---|
Spain | 29,307 |
Mexico | 11,715 |
Argentina | 5,143 |
Costa Rica | 9,840 |
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