Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albacete and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Albacete: $1,562 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Albacete
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Albacete Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Albacete

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,562

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albacete and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Albacete and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,562 in Albacete versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Albacete $1,562
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,228 in Albacete versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Albacete $2,228
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,893 in Albacete versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Albacete $2,893
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Albacete costs roughly 36% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Albacete 15% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.56 €13.04

$17.59 €15.75

-17.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.80 €42.81

$67.5 €60.5

-29.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 €8.35

$13.53 €12.12

-31.04%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.87

$3.19 €2.86

-34.48%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.91 €2.61

-18.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.89 €1.70

-13.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 €2.45

$4.01 €3.59

-31.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.08

$4.53 €4.06

0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.31 €1.17

-30.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 €0.67

$2.02 €1.81

-62.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.85 €1.66

-6.49%

Eggs

$2.95 €2.64

$4.83 €4.33

-38.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.11 €14.43

$16.74 €14.99

-3.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 €4.89

$9.12 €8.17

-40.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.39 €15.58

$19.64 €17.59

-11.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$2.98 €2.67

-15.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.02 €1.81

5.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.70 €2.42

-8.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.80 €2.51

-10.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.09 €1.87

10.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.07 €1.85

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.46 €1.31

6.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.94 €0.84

-39.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.11

$6.87 €6.15

-0.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.30 €4.75

$7.89 €7.06

-32.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.41 €1.26

-14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.54 €2.27

-15.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.14 €2.82

-56.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.51 €14.79

$25.45 €22.79

-35.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 €3.30

$2.99 €2.68

23.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.49 €1.34

2.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.69 €26.59

$33.37 €29.89

-11.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.80 €1.61

-8.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.2K €29.7K

-0.10%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.5K €25.5K

$31.7K €28.4K

-10.08%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$184 €165

$180 €162

2.23%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.50 €15.67

$13.84 €12.39

26.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.04 €15.26

$33.70 €30.18

-49.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.41 €3.95

$15.96 €14.29

-72.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 €8.09

$10.99 €9.85

-17.74%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$681 €610

$917 €821

-25.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €16.0K

$16.5K €14.8K

8.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.8 €74.2

$87.0 €77.9

-4.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.11 €37.71

$38.51 €34.49

9.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 €78.7

$106 €94.8

-17.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.8

$120 €107

-6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 €838

$1,699 €1,522

-44.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 €611

$1,355 €1,214

-49.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 €1,109

$2,603 €2,331

-52.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 €849

$2,062 €1,847

-54.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,312 €2,071

$6,915 €6,193

-66.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 €1,811

$5,128 €4,592

-60.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,952 €1,748

$2,211 €1,980

-11.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.28

-4.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Albacete: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Albacete

$682 43.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 98.8% $674

Groceries & Markets

Albacete

$256 16.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 25.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albacete

$219 14%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 4.1% $9

Eating Out

Albacete

$208 13.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 28.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Albacete

$146 9.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 8.3% $12

Getting Around

Albacete

$33 2.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 45.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Albacete

$18 * 1.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 307% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $936 in Albacete and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48 in Albacete vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $322 per month, with Albacete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Albacete

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

Same time as Albacete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,206

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Albacete Barcelona 430 km

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Albacete
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Albacete vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,562 in Albacete and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Albacete is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Albacete. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $936 in Albacete versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Albacete – a meal for two runs $48 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,562 per month in Albacete versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Albacete is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,562 in Albacete versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albacete but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Albacete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Albacete and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Albacete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.