Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,607 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Alton despite lower rent and utilities.

125

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,607

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alton 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 Alton and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,607 per month in Alton vs $2,453 in Barcelona, rent included.

Alton $2,607
Barcelona $2,453

A couple spends around $3,875 per month in Alton vs $3,509 in Barcelona, rent included.

Alton $3,875
Barcelona $3,509

A family of three spends $5,143 per month in Alton vs $4,564 in Barcelona, rent included.

Alton $5,143
Barcelona $4,564

Alton costs about 6% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alton and Barcelona sit above the global median – Alton by 92%, Barcelona by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.13 £20.42

$17.59 €15.80

54.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$67.5 €60.6

54.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 £8.09

$13.53 €12.15

-20.55%

Cappuccino

$5.69 £4.28

$3.19 €2.87

78.37%

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

$3.03 £2.28

$2.91 €2.62

4.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.66

$1.89 €1.70

16.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.07 £6.83

$4.01 €3.60

126.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 £5.99

$4.53 €4.07

75.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 £1.37

$1.31 €1.17

38.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.02 €1.81

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 £1.89

$1.85 €1.66

35.68%

Eggs

$3.39 £2.55

$4.83 €4.34

-29.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 £9.61

$16.74 €15.03

-23.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 £8.18

$9.12 €8.19

19.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 £12.98

$19.64 €17.64

-12.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.36

$2.98 €2.68

5.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.07

$2.02 €1.81

-29.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.25

$2.70 €2.43

10.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 £2.56

$2.80 €2.52

21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.09 €1.87

-19.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$2.07 €1.86

-12.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 £1.11

$1.46 €1.31

0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$0.94 €0.84

96.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.77 £17.89

$6.87 €6.17

246.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.90

$7.89 €7.08

33.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.41 €1.26

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 £2.06

$2.54 €2.28

7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.49 £2.62

$3.14 €2.82

11.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.0 £73.8

$25.45 €22.86

285.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 £4.11

$2.99 €2.69

82.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.55

$1.49 €1.34

127.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.69 £19.33

$33.37 €29.98

-23.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.80 €1.61

16.67%

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

$38.2K £28.8K

$33.2K €29.8K

15.22%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$31.7K €28.5K

26.70%

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

$369 £278

$180 €162

104.78%

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

$18.30 £13.77

$13.84 €12.43

32.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 £30.54

$33.70 €30.27

20.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.16 £34.74

$51.5 €46.27

-10.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 £13.45

$10.99 €9.88

62.69%

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

$2,877 £2,165

$917 €823

213.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.7K £26.9K

$16.5K €14.8K

116.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 £87.9

$87.0 €78.2

34.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £41.04

$38.51 €34.59

41.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £96.6

$106 €95.1

21.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$120 €108

37.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 £938

$1,699 €1,527

-26.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 £767

$1,355 €1,217

-24.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,098 £1,579

$2,603 €2,338

-19.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 £1,267

$2,062 €1,853

-18.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,091 £3,832

$6,915 €6,211

-26.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,807 £2,865

$5,128 €4,606

-25.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.28

44.51%

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

Last update for Alton: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alton

$1K 39.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 32.9% $336

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton

$428 16.4%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 46.8% $200

Eating Out

Alton

$400 15.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 33% $132

Groceries & Markets

Alton

$334 12.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 3.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Alton

$209 8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 24.5% $51

Getting Around

Alton

$134 5.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 63.9% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Alton

$82 3.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10.3% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,246 in Alton versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Alton versus $67 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $322 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Alton

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

21:33 9:33 PM

1 h ahead of Alton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,816

1,660,122

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alton Barcelona 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Alton
Barcelona

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

Alton vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,607 in Alton, $2,453 in Barcelona – Barcelona comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,911 per month in Alton and $3,679 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,246 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,877 per month in Alton and $917 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,607 in Alton and $2,453 in Barcelona, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,453 in Barcelona to $2,607 in Alton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.