Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $452 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Alexandria

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

A single person spends $2,381 per month in Barcelona vs $452 in Alexandria, rent included.

Barcelona $2,381
Alexandria $452

A couple spends around $3,406 per month in Barcelona vs $750 in Alexandria, rent included.

Barcelona $3,406
Alexandria $750

A family of three spends $4,431 per month in Barcelona vs $1,048 in Alexandria, rent included.

Barcelona $4,431
Alexandria $1,048

Barcelona costs about 426% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Barcelona sits 76% above the global median, while Alexandria is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$4.22 E£225

323.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$18.66 E£996

254.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.74 E£253

188.82%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.26 E£67.3

142.86%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.30 E£15.96

923.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.12 E£6.31

1516.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.33 E£70.9

190.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.74 E£146

68.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.84 E£44.97

54.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.71 E£37.73

195.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.58 E£30.74

215.52%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.10 E£59.0

320.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$3.66 E£195

374.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$4.19 E£224

121.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$9.17 E£490

116.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.46 E£77.7

106.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.78 E£41.63

160.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.51 E£27.48

419.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.34 E£18.27

744.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.24 E£12.77

800.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.30 E£15.98

616.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.27 E£14.47

444.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.22 E£11.93

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$1.86 E£99.6

272.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.62 E£300

39.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.16 E£61.9

19.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.15 E£115

22.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.22 E£11.66

1222.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$10.95 E£585

132.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.57 E£30.48

426.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.49 E£26.19

193.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$1.11 E£59.1

2890.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.45 E£24.16

313.33%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$32.8K E£1.8M

-1.32%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.2K E£1.3M

25.92%

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

$183 €163

$14.02 E£749

1203.57%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$6.60 E£353

106.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$12.75 E£681

158.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$12.39 E£662

341.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$7.31 E£390

125.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$2.73 E£146

311.36%

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

$954 €849

$85.2 E£4,549

1020.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$2,035 E£108.6K

716.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$32.61 E£1,741

163.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$45.28 E£2,418

-13.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$125 E£6,687

-17.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$54.9 E£2,933

116.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$131 E£7,020

1189.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$69.3 E£3,702

1741.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$279 E£14.9K

823.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$142 E£7,603

1250.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$679 E£36.2K

972.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$431 E£23.0K

1063.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$137 E£7,313

1525.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

21.33

-84.62%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Alexandria

$69 15.3% 94.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Alexandria

$124 27.4% 61.9% $201

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Alexandria

$77 17% 71.5% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Alexandria

$33 7.4% 85.4% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Alexandria

$116 25.7% 25.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Alexandria

$18 4% 76.9% $59

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Alexandria

$15 3.3% 68.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Barcelona versus $131 in Alexandria. 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 1526% higher in Barcelona, 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 $66.0 in Barcelona versus $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $124 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

15:43 3:43 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

4,546,231

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Alexandria 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 426% more than Alexandria, 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 $3,571 per month in Barcelona and $678 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $954 per month in Barcelona and $85.2 in Alexandria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 163% more in Barcelona, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $452, than in Barcelona at $2,381. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandria costs $452 versus $2,381 in Barcelona. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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