Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barakaldo and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barakaldo: $1,633 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Barakaldo
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Barakaldo Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barakaldo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,633

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Barakaldo versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Barakaldo $1,633
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,448 in Barakaldo versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Barakaldo $2,448
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,264 in Barakaldo versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Barakaldo $3,264
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Barakaldo costs roughly 33% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barakaldo 20% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.13 €15.34

$17.59 €15.75

-2.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.6

$67.5 €60.5

0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.09

$13.53 €12.12

-8.43%

Cappuccino

$2.63 €2.35

$3.19 €2.86

-17.55%

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

$3.04 €2.72

$2.91 €2.61

4.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.89 €1.70

8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 €3.00

$4.01 €3.59

-16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.92

$4.53 €4.06

-28.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.31 €1.17

-6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.02 €1.81

-18.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.85 €1.66

-24.32%

Eggs

$3.36 €3.01

$4.83 €4.33

-30.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 €11.08

$16.74 €14.99

-26.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 €7.04

$9.12 €8.17

-13.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 €12.77

$19.64 €17.59

-27.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 €2.61

$2.98 €2.67

-2.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.02 €1.81

-27.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.70 €2.42

-4.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.80 €2.51

-9.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.09 €1.87

-22.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.07 €1.85

6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.46 €1.31

-12.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.77

$0.94 €0.84

-8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.72 €6.02

$6.87 €6.15

-2.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 €7.15

$7.89 €7.06

1.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.41 €1.26

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.54 €2.27

-29.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$3.14 €2.82

-46.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.61 €29.20

$25.45 €22.79

28.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 €5.02

$2.99 €2.68

87.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.49 €1.34

-30.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.32 €26.26

$33.37 €29.89

-12.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

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

$32.9K €29.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

-0.86%

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

$29.4K €26.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

-7.20%

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

$143 €128

$180 €162

-20.85%

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

$18.23 €16.33

$13.84 €12.39

31.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.63 €20.26

$33.70 €30.18

-32.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.92 €40.23

$51.5 €46.13

-12.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 €14.23

$15.96 €14.29

-0.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.90

$10.99 €9.85

-9.55%

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

$483 €433

$917 €821

-47.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,038

$16.5K €14.8K

-38.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.4 €86.3

$87.0 €77.9

10.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.25 €28.88

$38.51 €34.49

-16.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 €66.8

$106 €94.8

-29.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €802

$1,699 €1,522

-47.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$675 €605

$1,355 €1,214

-50.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,217

$2,603 €2,331

-47.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €917

$2,062 €1,847

-50.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,327 €2,979

$6,915 €6,193

-51.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,222 €1,990

$5,128 €4,592

-56.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,779 €1,593

$2,211 €1,980

-19.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

3.28

-9.15%

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

Last update for Barakaldo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barakaldo

$675 41.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 101% $680

Groceries & Markets

Barakaldo

$265 16.2%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 21.7% $57

Eating Out

Barakaldo

$249 15.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 7.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barakaldo

$184 11.3%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 24.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Barakaldo

$145 8.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 8.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barakaldo

$65 4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 13.4% $8.7

Getting Around

Barakaldo

$50 3.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 3.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $896 in Barakaldo and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 24% 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: $68 in Barakaldo vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $322, with Barakaldo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barakaldo

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

Same time as Barakaldo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,229

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Barakaldo vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,633 in Barakaldo and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barakaldo is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Barakaldo. 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: $896 in Barakaldo versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $483 in Barakaldo versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 22% less than in Barakaldo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barakaldo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Barakaldo wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.