Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Birmingham

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Birmingham: $2,453 and $2,505 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
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Birmingham Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Birmingham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,505 in Birmingham.

Barcelona $2,453
Birmingham $2,505

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,602 in Birmingham.

Barcelona $3,509
Birmingham $3,602

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,700 in Birmingham.

Barcelona $4,564
Birmingham $4,700

Monthly costs are close between Barcelona and Birmingham; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Birmingham 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$19.89 £14.86

-11.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$93.4 £69.8

-27.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.24 £6.91

46.43%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.04 £3.76

-36.71%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.75 £2.06

5.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.97 £1.47

-4.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.19 £5.37

-44.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.56 £4.90

-30.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.92 £1.43

-31.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.98 £1.48

2.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.60 £1.94

-28.85%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.93 £2.93

22.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$8.83 £6.60

89.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.80 £6.58

3.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$15.04 £11.24

30.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.56 £1.91

16.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.80 £1.34

12.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.72 £2.03

-0.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.88 £2.90

-27.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.79 £1.33

16.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.72 £1.28

20.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.44 £1.07

1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.59 £1.19

-40.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$22.11 £16.52

-68.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$12.08 £9.02

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.74 £2.80

-62.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.58 £2.68

-29.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.06 £3.03

-22.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$94.7 £70.7

-73.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.10 £3.81

-41.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.35 £1.76

-36.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$23.97 £17.91

39.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.10 £1.57

-14.29%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.7K £28.9K

-14.20%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$40.6K £30.4K

-22.00%

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

$180 €162

$319 £239

-43.52%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$21.51 £16.07

-35.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$49.25 £36.80

-31.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$33.63 £25.13

53.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$30.44 £22.74

-47.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$16.02 £11.97

-31.40%

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

$917 €821

$1,657 £1,238

-44.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$24.1K £18.0K

-31.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$106 £78.8

-17.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$49.90 £37.28

-22.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$120 £89.7

-11.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$151 £113

-20.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,401 £1,047

21.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,096 £819

23.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,034 £1,519

27.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,609 £1,202

28.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,064 £3,783

36.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$4,238 £3,166

21.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,441 £3,317

-50.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.09

-35.56%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Birmingham: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Birmingham

$1.1K 43.8% 19.1% $259

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Birmingham

$318 12.7% 1.1% $3.6

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Birmingham

$315 12.6% 17.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Birmingham

$390 15.6% 71.2% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Birmingham

$192 7.7% 21.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Birmingham

$66 2.6% 10.6% $7.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Birmingham

$128 5.1% 164% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,401 in Birmingham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birmingham pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $93 in Birmingham. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $318, with Birmingham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,036,878

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Birmingham 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Birmingham

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 Birmingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,401 in Birmingham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,657 in Birmingham. 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 73% less than in Birmingham. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona 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.

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