Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,607 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Alton despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Alton

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

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $2,607 in Alton, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Alton $2,607

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $3,875 in Alton, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Alton $3,875

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $5,143 in Alton, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Alton $5,143

Barcelona is about 6% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barcelona and Alton sit above the global median – Barcelona by 80%, Alton by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$27.13 £20.42

-35.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$105 £78.7

-35.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$10.75 £8.09

25.86%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.69 £4.28

-43.94%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.03 £2.28

-3.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.20 £1.66

-14.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$9.07 £6.83

-55.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$7.96 £5.99

-43.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.81 £1.37

-27.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.02 £1.52

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.51 £1.89

-26.29%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.39 £2.55

42.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$12.77 £9.61

31.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$10.86 £8.18

-16.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$17.24 £12.98

13.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.14 £2.36

-5.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.42 £1.07

42.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.99 £2.25

-9.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.40 £2.56

-17.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.68 £1.26

24.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.81 £1.36

14.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.47 £1.11

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.85 £1.39

-49.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$23.77 £17.89

-71.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$10.50 £7.90

-24.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.35 £1.77

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.74 £2.06

-7.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.49 £2.62

-10.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$98.0 £73.8

-74.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$5.46 £4.11

-45.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.39 £2.55

-56.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$25.69 £19.33

29.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.10 £1.58

-14.29%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$38.2K £28.8K

-13.21%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$40.2K £30.2K

-21.07%

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

$180 €162

$369 £278

-51.17%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$18.30 £13.77

-24.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$40.58 £30.54

-16.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$46.16 £34.74

11.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$17.88 £13.45

-38.53%

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

$917 €823

$2,877 £2,165

-68.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$35.7K £26.9K

-53.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$117 £87.9

-25.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$54.5 £41.04

-29.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$128 £96.6

-17.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$165 £124

-27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,246 £938

36.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,019 £767

32.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,098 £1,579

24.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,683 £1,267

22.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$5,091 £3,832

35.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$3,807 £2,865

34.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.74

-30.80%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Alton

$1K 39.1% 24.8% $336

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Alton

$334 12.8% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Alton

$400 15.3% 49.2% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Alton

$428 16.4% 87.9% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Alton

$209 8% 32.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Alton

$82 3.1% 11.5% $8.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Alton

$134 5.2% 177% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,246 in Alton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $105 in Alton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $334 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Alton

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

17,816

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Alton 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Alton

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 Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona, $2,607 in Alton – Barcelona comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $3,911 in Alton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,246 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $917 per month in Barcelona and $2,877 in Alton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,607 in Alton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,453 in Barcelona to $2,607 in Alton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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