Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bournemouth

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Bournemouth: $2,399 and $2,509 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Bournemouth
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Bournemouth Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Bournemouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bournemouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,509 in Bournemouth.

Barcelona $2,399
Bournemouth $2,509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,689 in Bournemouth.

Barcelona $3,410
Bournemouth $3,689

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,870 in Bournemouth.

Barcelona $4,421
Bournemouth $4,870

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 4% less than in Bournemouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Bournemouth 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$20.33 £15.25

-11.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$101 £75.6

-32.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$11.68 £8.76

13.70%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.76 £3.57

-31.72%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.21 £2.41

-6.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.03 £1.53

-7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$6.78 £5.09

-43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$7.19 £5.39

-37.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.61 £1.21

-19.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.54 £1.16

32.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.80 £1.35

-4.44%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.32 £3.24

10.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$6.23 £4.68

169.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$9.28 £6.96

-3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$12.68 £9.51

56.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.22 £1.67

34.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.75 £1.32

16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.94 £1.46

40.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.11 £1.58

27.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.03 £1.52

3.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.26 £0.95

65.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.89 £1.42

-23.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.69 £1.27

-47.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$23.60 £17.71

-70.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$9.36 £7.02

-16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.80 £2.10

-48.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.49 £1.87

3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.64 £2.73

-17.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$90.8 £68.1

-72.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.23 £2.42

-3.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.29 £1.72

-37.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$32.25 £24.20

3.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.99 £1.49

-10.05%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$38.2K £28.6K

-9.27%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$40.0K £30.0K

-24.74%

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

$178 €158

$353 £265

-49.61%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$16.19 £12.14

-17.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$42.90 £32.18

-18.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$37.33 £28.00

42.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$11.71 £8.78

36.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$17.19 £12.90

-35.66%

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

$957 €851

$2,218 £1,664

-56.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$33.8K £25.4K

-51.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$88.8 £66.6

-0.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$43.86 £32.90

-9.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$82.6 £62.0

24.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$143 £107

-15.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,258 £944

31.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,146 £860

13.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,670 £2,003

-4.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,898 £1,424

0.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$6,662 £4,998

9.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$5,474 £4,107

-7.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,920 £2,191

-21.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.96

-33.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bournemouth: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Bournemouth

$1.1K 45.7% 11.9% $155

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Bournemouth

$273 10.9% 14.6% $47

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Bournemouth

$324 12.9% 20% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Bournemouth

$412 16.4% 82.3% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Bournemouth

$161 6.4% 1.8% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Bournemouth

$72 2.9% 4.9% $3.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Bournemouth

$120 4.8% 153% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,258 in Bournemouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bournemouth pays 28% 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 $101 in Bournemouth. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $273, with Bournemouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Bournemouth

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

183,491

💱 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 Bournemouth 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bournemouth

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 Bournemouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Bournemouth differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,509 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Bournemouth. 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 $1,258 in Bournemouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $2,218 in Bournemouth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bournemouth pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,509 in Bournemouth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Bournemouth. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Bournemouth 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 5% less than in Bournemouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.