Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Barakaldo

For one person, living is cheaper in Barakaldo: $1,633 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Barakaldo
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Barakaldo Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Barakaldo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Barakaldo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,633 in Barakaldo.

Barcelona $2,453
Barakaldo $1,633

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,448 in Barakaldo.

Barcelona $3,509
Barakaldo $2,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,264 in Barakaldo.

Barcelona $4,564
Barakaldo $3,264

Living in Barcelona is roughly 50% more expensive than in Barakaldo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Barakaldo 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$17.13 €15.34

2.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$67.6 €60.6

-0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.39 €11.09

9.20%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.63 €2.35

21.29%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.04 €2.72

-4.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.05 €1.83

-7.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.35 €3.00

19.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.26 €2.92

38.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.23 €1.10

6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.65 €1.48

22.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.40 €1.25

32.14%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.36 €3.01

43.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$12.37 €11.08

35.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.86 €7.04

16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$14.26 €12.77

37.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.91 €2.61

2.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.46 €1.31

38.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.57 €2.30

5.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.53 €2.26

10.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.62 €1.45

29.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.21 €1.98

-6.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.28 €1.15

14.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.86 €0.77

9.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.72 €6.02

2.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$7.98 €7.15

-1.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.39 €1.25

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.79 €1.60

41.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.67 €1.50

88.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$32.61 €29.20

-21.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.61 €5.02

-46.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.03 €0.92

44.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$29.32 €26.26

13.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$32.9K €29.5K

0.87%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$29.4K €26.3K

7.75%

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

$180 €162

$143 €128

26.35%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$18.23 €16.33

-24.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$22.63 €20.26

48.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$44.92 €40.23

14.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$15.89 €14.23

0.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.94 €8.90

10.56%

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

$917 €821

$483 €433

89.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.1K €9,038

63.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$96.4 €86.3

-9.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$32.25 €28.88

19.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$74.6 €66.8

41.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

-0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$896 €802

89.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$675 €605

100.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,359 €1,217

91.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,024 €917

101.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$3,327 €2,979

107.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,222 €1,990

130.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,779 €1,593

24.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.98

10.07%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barakaldo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Barakaldo

$675 41.3% 50.2% $680

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Barakaldo

$265 16.2% 17.8% $57

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Barakaldo

$249 15.3% 6.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Barakaldo

$184 11.3% 19.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Barakaldo

$145 8.9% 7.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Barakaldo

$65 4% 11.8% $8.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Barakaldo

$50 3.1% 3.3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $896 in Barakaldo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 24% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in Barakaldo. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $265, with Barakaldo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Barakaldo

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

101,229

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Barcelona Barakaldo 470 km

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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 Barakaldo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,633 in Barakaldo, so Barakaldo is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $896 in Barakaldo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $483 in Barakaldo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 22% less than in Barakaldo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barakaldo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Barakaldo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barakaldo wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.