Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ashford

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Ashford: $2,399 and $2,427 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ashford
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Ashford Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Ashford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ashford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,427 in Ashford.

Barcelona $2,399
Ashford $2,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,351 in Ashford.

Barcelona $3,410
Ashford $3,351

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,276 in Ashford.

Barcelona $4,421
Ashford $4,276

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 1% less than in Ashford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Ashford 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$20.96 £15.73

-14.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$79.9 £60.0

-14.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$10.49 £7.87

26.60%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$5.74 £4.30

-43.38%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.74 £2.05

9.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.82 £1.37

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.89 £2.92

-1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$7.09 £5.32

-36.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.48 £1.11

-12.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.32 £0.99

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.69 £1.26

1.78%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.00 £2.25

59.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$5.22 £3.92

221.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$6.91 £5.18

29.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$14.39 £10.79

38.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.28 £2.46

-9.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.44 £1.08

40.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.67 £2.01

2.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.17 £2.38

-15.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.67 £1.25

25.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.46 £1.09

42.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.44 £1.08

0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.42 £1.07

-37.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$18.83 £14.13

-63.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$9.24 £6.93

-15.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.67 £2.00

-45.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.63 £2.73

-29.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.89 £2.92

-23.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$146 £110

-82.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$6.11 £4.58

-48.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.68 £1.26

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$21.44 £16.08

56.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.07 £1.55

-13.53%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.0K £26.2K

-0.95%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$41.1K £30.9K

-26.89%

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

$178 €158

$244 £183

-27.04%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$24.30 £18.23

-45.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$38.52 £28.90

-9.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$61.3 £45.99

-13.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$18.74 £14.06

-14.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$21.45 £16.10

-48.44%

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

$957 €851

$1,076 £808

-11.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$19.8K £14.9K

-16.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$69.5 £52.1

26.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$31.50 £23.63

25.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$76.7 £57.6

33.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$100 £75.1

21.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,115 £836

48.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,133 £850

14.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,708 £1,282

49.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,425 £1,069

34.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$6,328 £4,748

15.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$4,671 £3,504

8.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,452 £1,840

-7.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.91

-33.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ashford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Ashford

$1.1K 46.7% 13% $169

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Ashford

$262 10.8% 18.3% $59

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Ashford

$320 13.2% 18.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Ashford

$307 12.6% 35.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Ashford

$125 5.2% 21.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Ashford

$104 4.3% 38.3% $29

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Ashford

$176 7.3% 272% $129

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,115 in Ashford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashford pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $80.0 in Ashford. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $262, with Ashford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Ashford

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

22:53 10:53 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

58,936

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Ashford 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ashford

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 Ashford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Ashford. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,115 in Ashford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $80.0 in Ashford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,399 per month in Barcelona versus $2,427 in Ashford – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,427 in Ashford, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Ashford. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barcelona is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ashford, 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Ashford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.