Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Aswan

For one person, living is cheaper in Aswan: $434 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Aswan
🇪🇬 Egypt
$434
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Aswan

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

A single person spends $2,381 per month in Barcelona vs $434 in Aswan, rent included.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Aswan $434

A couple spends around $3,406 per month in Barcelona vs $701 in Aswan, rent included.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Aswan $701

A family of three spends $4,431 per month in Barcelona vs $969 in Aswan, rent included.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Aswan $969

Barcelona costs about 448% more than Aswan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Barcelona sits 76% above the global median, while Aswan is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Aswan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.92
$3.88 E£207
361.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €58.9
$14.90 E£796
344.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.18
$4.69 E£250
191.90%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$1.31 E£70.0
133.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$0.30 E£15.98
923.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$0.14 E£7.36
1285.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$1.30 E£69.2
197.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.10
$2.88 E£154
60.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Aswan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$0.87 E£46.25
49.43%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$0.65 E£34.78
223.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.62
$0.58 E£31.05
215.52%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$1.20 E£64.2
285.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.44
$3.24 E£173
435.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.25
$4.08 E£218
127.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.64
$7.85 E£419
152.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.68
$1.47 E£78.3
104.76%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$0.67 E£35.88
202.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$0.49 E£26.11
440.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.55
$0.35 E£18.89
720.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$0.34 E£18.31
535.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$0.33 E£17.85
551.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$0.25 E£13.21
488.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.17 E£8.83
417.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.16
$1.87 E£99.8
270.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.96
$6.32 E£338
23.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.20 E£64.0
15.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.34
$2.00 E£107
31.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Aswan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.59
$0.18 E£9.69
1516.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.64
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.66
$0.40 E£21.12
650.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$0.22 E£11.60
554.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.53
$1.19 E£63.8
2689.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.65
$0.45 E£24.21
313.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$31.9K E£1.7M
1.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.2K
$25.1K E£1.3M
26.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Aswan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$15.10 E£806
1110.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.11
$6.64 E£354
104.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.29
$13.16 E£703
150.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Aswan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.65
$16.36 E£874
234.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.70
$4.78 E£255
245.61%
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$2.93 E£157
283.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Aswan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €849
$86.6 E£4,622
1002.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$1,865 E£99.6K
790.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Aswan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.5
$16.97 E£906
406.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.78
$45.04 E£2,405
-13.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.2
$115 E£6,132
-9.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$55.8 E£2,982
112.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Aswan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,508
$133 E£7,091
1176.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,135
$76.9 E£4,108
1558.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,291
$253 E£13.5K
917.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,710
$144 E£7,713
1230.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,477
$767 E£40.9K
849.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,456
$347 E£18.5K
1343.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Aswan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,981
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
16.21
-79.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Aswan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Aswan
$77 94% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Aswan
$118 63.6% $207
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Aswan
$75 72.2% $195
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Aswan
$35 84.8% $194
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Aswan
$105 33% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Aswan
$22 71.2% $55
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Aswan
$2.2 * 95.3% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Barcelona versus $133 in Aswan. 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 $66.0 in Barcelona versus $15.00 in Aswan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $118 – making Aswan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇪🇬 Aswan
🕒 Local time
15:19 3:19 PM
16:19 4:19 PM
1 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
241,261
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Aswan 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Aswan

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 Aswan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aswan cheaper than Barcelona?
Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 448%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,571 per month in Barcelona and $651 in Aswan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Aswan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Barcelona or in Aswan?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Barcelona and $15.00 in Aswan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Barcelona and in Aswan?
Groceries cost about 175% more in Barcelona, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Barcelona or in Aswan?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aswan, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Barcelona at $2,381. In Aswan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Barcelona or Aswan more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Aswan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Barcelona or Aswan?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Aswan. 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.

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