Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Alcorcón

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcorcón: $1,696 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Alcorcón
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Alcorcón Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Alcorcón

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Alcorcón

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,696 in Alcorcón.

Barcelona $2,453
Alcorcón $1,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,505 in Alcorcón.

Barcelona $3,509
Alcorcón $2,505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,315 in Alcorcón.

Barcelona $4,564
Alcorcón $3,315

Living in Barcelona is roughly 45% more expensive than in Alcorcón, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Alcorcón 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$17.08 €15.31

2.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$56.2 €50.4

20.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.98 €9.84

23.22%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.01 €1.81

58.71%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.83 €2.54

2.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.00 €1.79

-5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.00 €3.59

0.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.94 €3.53

14.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.36 €1.22

-3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.56 €1.40

29.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.53 €1.37

20.92%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.82 €2.53

71.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$16.62 €14.89

0.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.34 €8.37

-2.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$17.41 €15.60

12.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.63 €2.36

13.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.41 €2.16

-16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.55 €2.29

5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.10 €2.78

-9.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.01 €1.80

3.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.22 €1.99

-6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.56 €1.40

-6.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.74 €0.66

27.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.34 €5.68

8.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.00 €7.17

-1.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.00 €0.89

41.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.21 €1.98

14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.56 €1.39

101.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$30.50 €27.33

-16.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.31 €2.07

29.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.02 €0.91

46.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$29.29 €26.25

13.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.81 €1.62

-0.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.4K €30.0K

-0.73%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$31.5K €28.2K

0.67%

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

$180 €162

$163 €146

11.01%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$11.35 €10.17

21.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$35.27 €31.61

-4.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$44.77 €40.12

15.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$13.64 €12.22

17.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.86 €7.94

24.04%

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

$917 €821

$510 €457

79.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,957 €7,130

107.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$87.8 €78.7

-0.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$38.49 €34.49

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$100 €89.7

5.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$112 €101

6.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,006 €902

68.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$687 €616

97.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,526 €1,367

70.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,045 €937

97.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,285 €2,944

110.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,234 €2,002

129.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

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 Alcorcón: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Alcorcón

$687 40.5% 49.3% $668

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Alcorcón

$300 17.7% 6.9% $22

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Alcorcón

$241 14.2% 10.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Alcorcón

$209 12.3% 8.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Alcorcón

$152 9% 3.5% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Alcorcón

$62 3.7% 15% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Alcorcón

$44 2.6% 9% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,006 in Alcorcón. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $56 in Alcorcón for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $300 per month, with Alcorcón cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Alcorcón

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

171,772

💱 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 Alcorcón 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Alcorcón

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 Alcorcón: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alcorcón is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,544 in Alcorcón to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,006 in Alcorcón. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,696 in Alcorcón – Alcorcón is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 17% less than in Alcorcón. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Alcorcón are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.