Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Aberdeen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aberdeen: $2,292 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
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Aberdeen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Aberdeen

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

A single person spends $2,443 per month in Barcelona vs $2,292 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Barcelona $2,443
Aberdeen $2,292

A couple spends around $3,519 per month in Barcelona vs $3,567 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Barcelona $3,519
Aberdeen $3,567

A family of three spends $4,595 per month in Barcelona vs $4,841 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Barcelona $4,595
Aberdeen $4,841

Barcelona costs about 7% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Barcelona and Aberdeen sit above the global median – Barcelona by 81%, Aberdeen by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$20.00 £14.83

-11.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$102 £75.7

-33.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$10.69 £7.93

27.32%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$4.75 £3.52

-34.74%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.86 £2.12

4.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.20 £1.63

-12.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$7.20 £5.34

-46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$7.90 £5.86

-44.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.55 £1.15

-19.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.80 £1.33

17.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.04 £1.51

-3.43%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$4.46 £3.31

6.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$8.63 £6.40

97.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$12.31 £9.13

-27.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$16.59 £12.30

24.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.90 £2.15

8.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.36 £1.01

44.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.89 £2.14

-8.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$3.79 £2.81

-24.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.80 £1.33

14.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.45 £1.07

50.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.26 £0.93

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.65 £1.22

-41.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$22.68 £16.82

-69.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$11.06 £8.20

-28.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.68 £1.99

-47.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.01 £2.23

-10.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.11 £3.05

-19.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$120 £89.2

-78.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$4.03 £2.99

-23.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.42 £1.80

-38.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$24.49 £18.16

34.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.17 £1.61

-13.82%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$38.1K £28.3K

-13.51%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$40.7K £30.1K

-21.42%

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

$183 €162

$402 £298

-54.46%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$28.26 £20.96

-49.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$42.43 £31.47

-18.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$48.03 £35.62

7.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

$22.14 £16.42

-26.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$11.47 £8.50

-3.57%

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

$944 €838

$1,839 £1,364

-48.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$23.7K £17.6K

-5.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$97.4 £72.2

-9.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$48.27 £35.80

-19.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$103 £76.4

1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$114 £84.7

3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$852 £632

99.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$788 £584

69.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$1,649 £1,223

63.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$1,593 £1,181

30.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$2,635 £1,954

171.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$3,197 £2,371

58.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

$4,053 £3,005

-44.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

5.11

-37.57%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Aberdeen

$788 34.3% 41.1% $549

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Aberdeen

$325 14.2% 1% $3.2

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Aberdeen

$321 14% 20.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Aberdeen

$472 20.6% 104% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Aberdeen

$163 7.1% 4.1% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Aberdeen

$71 3.1% 3.5% $2.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Aberdeen

$153 6.7% 210% $103

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Barcelona versus $852 in Aberdeen. 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 81% higher in Aberdeen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $102 in Aberdeen. Groceries tell a different story – $328 in Barcelona vs $325 in Aberdeen – so Aberdeen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

229,060

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Aberdeen 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Aberdeen

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

Barcelona vs Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 7% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,664 per month in Barcelona and $3,439 in Aberdeen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aberdeen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $1,697 in Barcelona.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,292 in Aberdeen. That makes Aberdeen about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $944 per month in Barcelona and $1,839 in Aberdeen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,292 in Aberdeen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aberdeen costs $2,292 versus $2,443 in Barcelona. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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