Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Anuradhapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $506 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Anuradhapura

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

A single person spends $2,381 per month in Barcelona vs $506 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Barcelona $2,381
Anuradhapura $506

A couple spends around $3,406 per month in Barcelona vs $820 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Barcelona $3,406
Anuradhapura $820

A family of three spends $4,431 per month in Barcelona vs $1,134 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Barcelona $4,431
Anuradhapura $1,134

Barcelona costs about 371% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 76% above the global median, while Anuradhapura is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$3.75 LKR 1,242

377.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$24.57 LKR 8,139

169.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.52 LKR 2,490

82.05%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.44 LKR 810

25.41%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.68 LKR 227

351.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.27 LKR 89.9

618.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.23 LKR 738

73.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.99 LKR 990

54.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.61 LKR 534

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.57 LKR 189

268.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.81 LKR 269

125.93%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.63 LKR 541

183.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$13.86 LKR 4,590

25.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$4.92 LKR 1,630

88.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$7.26 LKR 2,405

173.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$6.67 LKR 2,208

-54.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.86 LKR 286

136.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.46 LKR 1,476

-40.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.26 LKR 418

127.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.00 LKR 330

116.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.83 LKR 274

159.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.93 LKR 308

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.43 LKR 142

104.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$10.39 LKR 3,441

-33.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$13.07 LKR 4,330

-40.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.96 LKR 648

-29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.90 LKR 961

-9.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.40 LKR 134

650.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.37 LKR 123

289.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$0.88 LKR 292

3672.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.34 LKR 443

38.81%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

-25.67%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-20.90%

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

$183 €163

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

212.62%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$4.23 LKR 1,401

221.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$21.09 LKR 6,984

56.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$4.41 LKR 1,460

154.65%

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

$954 €849

$38.06 LKR 12.6K

2406.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

1256.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$18.46 LKR 6,115

366.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$16.65 LKR 5,515

134.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

28.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$41.98 LKR 13.9K

182.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

12.69

-74.15%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Anuradhapura

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Anuradhapura

$237 46.9% 27% $88

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Anuradhapura

$103 20.3% 61.8% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Anuradhapura

$84 16.6% 63.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Anuradhapura

$71 14% 54.7% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Anuradhapura

$8.8 * 1.7% 88.6% $68

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Anuradhapura

$2.3 * 0.5% 95.2% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Barcelona versus $25.00 in Anuradhapura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $237 – making Anuradhapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

15:03 3:03 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

63,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Anuradhapura 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Anuradhapura

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 Anuradhapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona, $506 in Anuradhapura – roughly 371% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,571 per month in Barcelona and $759 in Anuradhapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Barcelona and $25.00 in Anuradhapura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Barcelona at $2,381. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $506 in Anuradhapura to $2,381 in Barcelona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Anuradhapura. 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.