Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bradford Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bradford

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,337 in Barcelona versus $2,054 in Bradford.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,468 in Barcelona versus $2,928 in Bradford.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,599 in Barcelona versus $3,802 in Bradford.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 14% more expensive than Bradford, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 74% above, Bradford 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.08 €14.72

$17.36 £12.91

-1.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 €59.7

$76.6 £57.0

-9.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.78 €11.87

$10.93 £8.13

26.08%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.37

$4.52 £3.36

-38.94%

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

$2.79 €2.40

$2.33 £1.74

19.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.72

$1.81 £1.35

9.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.36 €3.76

$5.42 £4.03

-19.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 €4.09

$5.53 £4.11

-14.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.11

$1.59 £1.18

-18.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.77

$1.54 £1.14

33.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.71

$3.48 £2.59

-42.82%

Eggs

$3.39 €2.92

$4.03 £3.00

-15.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.81 €16.21

$9.36 £6.96

100.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.07

$8.07 £6.00

15.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.12 €16.48

$14.77 £10.98

29.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 €2.32

$3.23 £2.40

-16.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 €2.02

$1.94 £1.44

20.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$3.09 £2.30

-31.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.46

$3.77 £2.80

-24.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.70

$1.75 £1.30

12.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.55

$1.35 £1.00

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.25

$1.24 £0.92

16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.74

$1.73 £1.29

-50.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €5.84

$18.63 £13.85

-63.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 €6.81

$9.08 £6.75

-13.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.20

$2.78 £2.06

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.04

$2.74 £2.04

-13.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 €2.52

$3.47 £2.58

-15.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.69 €24.72

$67.6 £50.3

-57.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 €3.84

$5.56 £4.13

-19.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 €1.77

$0.91 £0.68

125.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.55 €25.46

$20.16 £14.99

46.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.56

$1.88 £1.40

-3.19%

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

$38.8K €33.5K

$37.9K £28.2K

2.44%

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

$33.1K €28.5K

$39.5K £29.4K

-16.21%

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

$189 €163

$317 £236

-40.29%

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

$22.80 €19.65

$18.80 £13.98

21.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.59 €32.39

$44.11 £32.80

-14.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 €49.75

$48.80 £36.28

18.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 €17.87

$19.82 £14.73

4.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 €9.33

$12.88 £9.58

-15.99%

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

$728 €628

$1,267 £942

-42.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K €12.7K

$13.6K £10.1K

8.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 €76.4

$79.4 £59.0

11.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.85 €31.75

$42.86 £31.87

-14.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$85.9 £63.8

18.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €100

$82.9 £61.6

40.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 €1,352

$783 £582

100.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 €1,050

$817 £607

49.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,795 €2,409

$1,245 £926

124.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,702

$1,127 £838

75.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,754 €6,680

$3,819 £2,840

103.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,176 €4,460

$3,015 £2,242

71.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,343 €2,019

$3,446 £2,562

-32.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.6

-39.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: June 7, 2026

Last update for Bradford: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,569 in Barcelona and $783 in Bradford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bradford pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Barcelona vs $77.0 in Bradford. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $304, with Bradford cheaper for home cooking.

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 Bradford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Bradford differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,337 vs $2,054 including rent). Bradford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Bradford earns 47% less. 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: $1,569 in Barcelona versus $783 in Bradford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $728 in Barcelona versus $1,267 in Bradford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,054 in Bradford versus $2,337 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bradford but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bradford 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 Bradford 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 Bradford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.