Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arklow

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,554 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Arklow despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arklow

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

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $2,554 in Arklow, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Arklow $2,554

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $3,690 in Arklow, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Arklow $3,690

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $4,827 in Arklow, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Arklow $4,827

Barcelona is about 4% cheaper than Arklow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barcelona and Arklow sit above the global median – Barcelona by 80%, Arklow by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.19 €19.88

-20.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$88.4 €79.3

-23.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.33 €10.15

19.42%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.20 €3.76

-24.05%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.95 €2.64

-1.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.22 €1.99

-14.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.38 €4.82

-25.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.37 €4.81

-15.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.71 €1.54

-23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.27 €2.04

-11.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.86 €1.67

-0.54%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.48 €4.02

7.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$14.23 €12.75

17.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.88 €11.54

-29.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$16.78 €15.03

17.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.32 €2.97

-10.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.00 €2.69

-32.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.35 €3.01

-19.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.72 €4.23

-40.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.36 €2.11

-11.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.82 €1.63

13.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.40 €1.26

4.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.10 €1.88

-55.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$19.86 €17.79

-65.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$13.35 €11.96

-40.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$4.06 €3.64

-65.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.58 €3.21

-29.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.27 €2.04

38.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.18 €4.64

-42.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.54 €1.38

-3.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$32.70 €29.30

2.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.14 €1.92

-15.89%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.3K €34.3K

-13.41%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.5K €33.6K

-15.52%

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

$180 €162

$244 €219

-26.14%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$21.79 €19.53

-36.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$55.4 €49.62

-39.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$59.4 €53.2

-13.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.29 €11.91

-17.31%

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

$917 €821

$1,077 €965

-14.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$5,279 €4,731

212.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$95.8 €85.8

-9.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$43.42 €38.90

-11.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$106 €95.2

-0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$121 €108

-1.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,484 €1,330

14.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,250 €1,120

8.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,796 €2,505

-6.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,909 €1,711

8.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,844 €3,445

33.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,869 €4,363

-54.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.14

-20.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arklow: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Arklow

$1.2K 48.9% 7.8% $106

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Arklow

$390 15.3% 21.1% $68

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Arklow

$320 12.5% 19.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Arklow

$321 12.6% 41% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Arklow

$165 6.5% 4.4% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Arklow

$86 3.4% 17% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Arklow

$22 * 0.9% 54.7% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,484 in Arklow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arklow are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $88 in Arklow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $390 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇪 Arklow

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

13,399

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Arklow 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arklow

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 Arklow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona, $2,554 in Arklow – Barcelona comes out roughly 4% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $3,831 in Arklow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arklow, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,484 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona and $88 in Arklow. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Arklow, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,554 in Arklow, 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 $2,554 in Arklow. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Barcelona. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.