Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Albacete

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.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Albacete
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Albacete Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Albacete

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Albacete

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 Albacete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Barcelona $2,453
Albacete $1,562

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

Barcelona $3,509
Albacete $2,228

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

Barcelona $4,564
Albacete $2,893

Living in Barcelona is roughly 57% more expensive than in Albacete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$14.56 €13.04

20.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$47.80 €42.81

41.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.33 €8.35

45.02%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.09 €1.87

52.63%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.36 €2.11

23.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.64 €1.47

15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.74 €2.45

46.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.56 €4.08

-0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.91 €0.82

43.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.75 €0.67

169.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.73 €1.55

6.94%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.95 €2.64

63.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$16.11 €14.43

3.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$5.47 €4.89

66.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$17.39 €15.58

12.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.52 €2.25

18.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.14 €1.92

-5.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.46 €2.21

9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.51 €2.25

11.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.31 €2.07

-9.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.06 €1.85

0.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.56 €1.40

-6.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.57 €0.51

64.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.82 €6.11

0.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$5.30 €4.75

48.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.21 €1.09

16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.14 €1.92

18.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.38 €1.23

127.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$16.51 €14.79

54.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.69 €3.30

-18.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.53 €1.37

-2.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$29.69 €26.59

12.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.65 €1.48

9.09%

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)

$31.7K €28.4K

$28.5K €25.5K

11.21%

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

$180 €162

$184 €165

-2.18%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$17.50 €15.67

-20.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$17.04 €15.26

97.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$4.41 €3.95

261.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.04 €8.09

21.57%

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

$917 €821

$681 €610

34.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$17.8K €16.0K

-7.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$82.8 €74.2

5.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$42.11 €37.71

-8.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$87.8 €78.7

20.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$111 €99.8

7.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$936 €838

81.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$682 €611

98.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,239 €1,109

110.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$948 €849

117.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,312 €2,071

199.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,022 €1,811

153.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,952 €1,748

13.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.14

4.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Albacete: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Albacete

$682 43.6% 49.7% $674

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Albacete

$256 16.4% 20.4% $66

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Albacete

$208 13.3% 22.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Albacete

$219 14% 3.9% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Albacete

$146 9.3% 7.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Albacete

$18 * 1.2% 75.4% $55

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Albacete

$33 2.1% 31.2% $15

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $936 in Albacete. 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $48 in Albacete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $256 per month, with Albacete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Albacete

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

173,206

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Albacete 430 km

From you

Barcelona
Albacete

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 Albacete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 13% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $936 in Albacete. 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 $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,562 in Albacete – 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, Barcelona and Albacete 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.