Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Barnsley

For one person, living is cheaper in Barnsley: $1,888 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,399
/mo nomad
Barnsley
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,888
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Barnsley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,888 in Barnsley.

  • Barcelona $2,399
  • Barnsley $1,888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,833 in Barnsley.

  • Barcelona $3,410
  • Barnsley $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,778 in Barnsley.

  • Barcelona $4,421
  • Barnsley $3,778

Living in Barcelona is roughly 27% more expensive than in Barnsley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Barnsley 40% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Barnsley
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.94 €15.96
$24.07 £18.06
-25.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €60.5
$82.4 £61.8
-17.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.28 €11.81
$10.65 £7.99
24.69%
Cappuccino
$3.25 €2.89
$4.85 £3.64
-32.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.67
$2.38 £1.79
26.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.63 £1.22
14.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.85 €3.42
$6.04 £4.53
-36.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 €3.98
$6.43 £4.83
-30.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Barnsley
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.65 £1.24
-21.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 €1.81
$1.92 £1.44
6.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.97 £1.48
-12.69%
Eggs
$4.77 €4.24
$4.01 £3.01
18.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.77 €14.92
$8.78 £6.58
91.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.93 €7.94
$8.59 £6.45
3.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.88 €17.68
$14.16 £10.63
40.40%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.65
$2.93 £2.20
1.71%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.80
$1.92 £1.44
5.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.73 €2.43
$2.60 £1.95
5.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.68 €2.38
$2.97 £2.23
-9.76%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.90 £1.42
10.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.57 £1.18
32.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.45 £1.09
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 €0.79
$1.40 £1.05
-36.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.94 €6.17
$23.00 £17.26
-69.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.78 €6.92
$11.29 £8.47
-31.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 €1.29
$3.26 £2.45
-55.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 €2.29
$3.17 £2.38
-18.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Barnsley
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 €2.66
$2.66 £2.00
12.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.20 €22.41
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.12 €2.77
$5.30 £3.98
-41.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.36 £1.02
5.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.50 €29.80
$19.40 £14.55
72.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 €1.59
$1.99 £1.50
-10.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K €30.8K
$38.8K £29.1K
-10.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K €26.7K
$40.7K £30.5K
-26.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Barnsley
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 €158
$279 £210
-36.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.32 €11.85
$20.47 £15.36
-34.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.88 €31.03
$42.62 £31.97
-18.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Barnsley
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 €47.37
$66.7 £50.0
-20.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.01 €14.24
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.84
$12.38 £9.29
-10.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Barnsley
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$957 €851
$1,468 £1,101
-34.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.7K
$16.3K £12.2K
1.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Barnsley
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.2 €78.4
$59.8 £44.84
47.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.49 €35.12
$40.99 £30.76
-3.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €91.5
$91.9 £68.9
11.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$78.4 £58.8
55.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Barnsley
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 €1,470
$900 £675
83.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,302 €1,158
$668 £501
94.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,557 €2,275
$1,364 £1,023
87.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,915 €1,703
$1,112 £834
72.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,286 €6,481
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,080 €4,519
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Barnsley
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,281 €2,029
$2,967 £2,226
-23.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
5.61
-41.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barnsley: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Barnsley
$668 48.7% $634
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$320
Barnsley
$300 6.4% $21
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Barnsley
$342 26.6% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$226
Barnsley
$342 51.5% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Barnsley
$122 23% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$75
Barnsley
$91 21.3% $16
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Barnsley
$23 * 52% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $900 in Barnsley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barnsley pays 30% 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 $82.0 in Barnsley. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $300, with Barnsley cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇬🇧 Barnsley
🕒 Local time
00:36 12:36 AM
23:36 11:36 PM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
245,199
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Barnsley 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Barnsley

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 Barnsley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Barnsley?
Barcelona and Barnsley differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,888 including rent). Barnsley is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Barnsley. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Barnsley?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $900 in Barnsley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Barnsley?
Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,468 in Barnsley. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Barnsley – a meal for two runs $82.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $1,888 in Barnsley versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Barnsley but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Barnsley the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Barnsley?
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.
Is Barcelona or Barnsley safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Barnsley are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Barnsley?
Expats usually find Barnsley gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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