How to Say Money in Spanish (Standard and Slang)

Talking about money in Spanish is very important if you’re planning on visiting a Spanish-speaking country. You’ll likely encounter this topic on a daily basis.

Even though there are many Spanish-speaking countries and, therefore, many currencies, in this article, we will focus on how to say money in Spanish in general, referring to any currency.

Of course, there’s tons of slang related to money. You probably know these from English or your native language. Naturally, the same thing exists in Spanish — and there are always local variants.

We will also share the many idioms and expressions about money in Spanish you can use so you can sound like a true local!

The Most Common Ways to Say Money in Spanish

This may surprise you, but the regional variations of how to say “money” in Spanish differ widely.

Let’s first start with the general, most widely used ways of saying money in Spanish.

Dinero

Let’s start with the reason you’re here: how to say “money” in its most basic form. In most countries, people use the word dinero .

While this is definitely the safest option, it is a little formal and isn’t used much in conversation. You’re more likely to hear the regional, dialectical terms for money.

However, dinero is definitely a safe option and everyone will know exactly what you mean.

Plata

If you’re traveling around Latin America, plata is the word you’re going to need to know.

The word plata is the most widely adopted way to say money in Spanish in Latin America. Some countries that use plata to mean money in Spanish are: Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

This word can also mean “silver”, so be careful not to give room for confusion in countries where people use dinero instead of plata.

Pasta

In Spain, people use pasta to talk colloquially about money.

Yes, pasta means “pasta” in English. But it also means “dough”, which is also slang for money in English.

How to Say Money in Spanish (Slang/Colloquial) by Country

Spanish is an ever-evolving language, and every country develops its own way of saying things in everyday life.

Here are the colloquial and slang ways to say money in Spanish in different countries. These are the words that you’re most likely to hear in everyday life.

Because these are quite slangy, I wouldn’t dish these out at the first instance, but rather wait until you feel comfortable with what’s common. They’ll all differ in popularity by region. As time goes on, words go in and out of fashion, too.

Country	Money in Spanish Slang
Mexico	Feria, lana, camarón, marmaja, bolas, baros, varo, biyuyo, billete, morraya, tostón, pachocha, clavo, eschivo
Spain	Panoja, pasta, pelas, perras, duros, guita, parné, jurdel
Argentina	Plata, guita, lana, mango, quivo, luca, chelines, hornero, chirola, cobre, gamba, guitarra, mosca, sope
Bolivia	Boliviano, pesos, plata, quibo, lucas, lana, mango, quivo, guitarra, guita, luca, peso, suelto
Chile	Plata, luca, kina, chaucha, gamba, arturito, morlaco, mosca, billuyo
Colombia	Plata, billuyo, ficho, lucas, la guaca, marmaja, la liga, barras, pepas, los ñoños,
Costa Rica	Plata, harina, billuyo, menudo, rojos, tejas, mosca, lana, ema, chapa, tuco
Cuba	Baro, money, cuquitos, juaniquiqui, lulas, melón, pasta, astilla, baro, cañas, guansa, piticlinie, plata, magua, billetaje
Dominican Republic	Baro, cuartos, tabla
Ecuador	Plata, cushqui, sota, gamba, guiso, yankee, latas, quina
El Salvador	Pisto, mosca, bolas, feria, papa, money
Honduras	Pisto,marmaja, luz, dinerito, pistillo, billete, biyuyo
Nicaragua	Chancheros, oxígeno, money, peso, luz
Panamá	Plata, chenchén, salve, pesos, palos, biyuyo, chimblín, lana, plata, billuyo, chimblín
Paraguay	Plata, pire, efectivo, mosca, pira pire, efectivo, guita
Perú	Cash, chavos, los chibilines, mangos, guitas, lecas, menudo, tolete, la china, fichas, el ferro
Puerto Rico	Cash, tolete, chavos, menudo, cholta, cheles
Uruguay	Plata, guita, teca, mangos, chapas, biyuya, mosca
Venezuela	Biyuyo, cobres, luca, muna, plata

Other Useful Vocab About Money in Spanish

Here are a few other words that you might find useful talking about Money.

Spanish	English
Cambio	1) Exchange/changing money (for smaller bills) 2) Small bills
Monedas	Coins
Dinero suelto	Loose change
Billete/billetes	Bills – as in dollar bills, notes
Efectivo	Cash

Useful Sentences About Money in Spanish

Below are a few sample sentences you’ll hear or say often.

Spanish	English
¿Pagarás en efectivo?	Will you pay in Cash?
¿Puedo pagar al contado?	Will you pay in cash?
Quise pagar con tarjeta pero no pude.	I wanted to pay with my card but I couldn’t.

Useful Idioms and Expressions about Money

Finally, you might be interested in the following idioms and expressions related to money.

These are just common ones — there are other ways of talking about money that are more colourful, too.

Spanish Expression	English Translation
Llegar a fin de mes	To make ends meet (Lit: “to make it to the end of the month”)
No llegar a fin de mes	To not be able to make ends meet
Tener una mano delante y otra atrás	To have nothing (Lit: “to have one hand in front, and another behind”)
No tener (ni) un duro	To not have any money
Estar forrado/a	To be loaded
Costar un ojo de la cara	To cost an arm and a leg (Lit: “Costs an eye from the face.”)
Ser tacaño	To be stingy
Ser agarrado/a	To be stingy
Ser rata	To be stingy
Tirar la casa por la ventana	To spend a lot of money (Lit: “to throw the house out of the window”)
Época de vacas flacas	Lean season (Lit: “the season of thin cows”)