Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Barcelona

Name: Barcelona
Address: Barcelona, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Barcelona $4,421

Arklow costs about 9% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arklow and Barcelona sit above the global median – Arklow by 94%, Barcelona by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$17.94 €15.96

24.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$68.1 €60.5

31.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$13.28 €11.81

-15.29%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$3.25 €2.89

26.77%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$3.01 €2.67

-2.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.87 €1.66

20.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$3.85 €3.42

42.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$4.48 €3.98

15.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.29 €1.15

31.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.04 €1.81

9.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.72 €1.53

10.47%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$4.77 €4.24

-2.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$16.77 €14.91

-15.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$8.93 €7.94

47.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$19.88 €17.68

-16.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.98 €2.65

9.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$2.03 €1.80

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.73 €2.43

25.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$2.68 €2.38

75.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.10 €1.87

12.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.08 €1.85

-12.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.89 €0.79

141.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$6.94 €6.17

192.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$7.78 €6.92

74.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$1.45 €1.29

181.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.57 €2.29

40.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.99 €2.66

-19.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$3.12 €2.77

66.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.44 €1.28

6.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$33.50 €29.80

-0.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.79 €1.59

18.44%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$34.6K €30.8K

12.00%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$30.1K €26.7K

24.06%

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

$240 €213

$178 €158

34.89%

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

$22.10 €19.65

$13.32 €11.85

65.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$34.88 €31.02

58.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$53.3 €47.36

8.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$11.06 €9.84

22.78%

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

$1,066 €948

$957 €851

11.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

$16.6K €14.7K

-67.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$88.2 €78.4

6.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$39.49 €35.12

9.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$103 €91.4

3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$121 €108

-2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$1,653 €1,470

-5.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$1,302 €1,158

1.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$2,557 €2,275

11.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,915 €1,703

-4.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,480

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,518

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$2,281 €2,028

113.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.28

26.22%

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

Last update for Arklow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 1.7% $23

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 18.3% $72

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 15.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 28.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 2.7% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 11% $9.3

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 111% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 113% higher in Arklow, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $320 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h ahead of Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arklow Barcelona 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
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

Arklow vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $2,399 in Barcelona – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow and $3,599 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barcelona, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow and $68.0 in Barcelona. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,624 in Arklow and $2,399 in Barcelona. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,399 in Barcelona to $2,624 in Arklow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barcelona. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.