Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ashford Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ashford

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $2,268 in Ashford.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $3,164 in Ashford.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $4,060 in Ashford.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 4% more expensive than Ashford, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Ashford 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$19.98 £14.88

-12.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$95.0 £70.8

-27.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$10.91 £8.13

28.87%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$4.01 £2.99

-30.67%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$2.86 £2.13

-2.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$1.97 £1.47

4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$6.21 £4.62

-28.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$6.27 £4.67

-26.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.88 £1.40

-34.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.46 £1.09

39.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$2.82 £2.10

-31.91%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$3.75 £2.79

-11.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$6.03 £4.50

205.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$6.83 £5.09

38.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.49

$13.04 £9.72

46.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.31 £2.47

-20.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.97 £1.47

24.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$3.72 £2.77

-43.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$3.54 £2.64

-19.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.97 £1.46

3.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$2.10 £1.57

-11.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.21 £0.90

21.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.46 £1.09

-42.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$19.80 £14.75

-63.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$9.53 £7.10

-17.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$3.51 £2.62

-60.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$4.25 £3.16

-45.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$3.34 £2.49

-10.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.19

$89.7 £66.9

-67.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$6.91 £5.15

-33.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.56 £1.16

32.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.12

$53.3 £39.69

-45.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.95 £1.45

-5.64%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$24.9K £18.6K

56.57%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$26.3K £19.6K

24.19%

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

$188 €162

$252 £188

-25.41%

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

$22.93 €19.74

$15.62 £11.64

46.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$33.76 £25.15

8.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.39

$59.4 £44.25

-3.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$16.51 £12.30

-32.22%

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

$721 €621

$2,296 £1,711

-68.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$22.8K £17.0K

-33.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$88.3 £65.8

-2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$29.50 £21.98

25.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$85.7 £63.9

19.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$91.6 £68.2

26.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,320

$1,293 £963

18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$995 £741

22.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$1,866 £1,390

44.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,733

$1,283 £956

56.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,216

$6,583 £4,905

9.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,467

$4,754 £3,542

9.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,031

$2,481 £1,849

-4.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.54

-38.81%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Ashford: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $1,293 in Ashford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashford pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $95.0 in Ashford. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $290, with Ashford cheaper for home cooking.

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 Ashford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashford is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Ashford earns 5% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $1,293 in Ashford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ashford – a meal for two runs $95.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,367 per month in Barcelona versus $2,268 in Ashford – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,268 in Ashford versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ashford but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ashford the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ashford is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Ashford are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ashford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.