Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bridgend Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bridgend

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,359 in Barcelona versus $2,440 in Bridgend.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,498 in Barcelona versus $3,541 in Bridgend.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,638 in Barcelona versus $4,642 in Bridgend.

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 3% less than in Bridgend, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Bridgend 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.15 €14.96

$21.80 £16.31

-21.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €59.3

$80.3 £60.1

-15.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €11.89

$9.99 £7.47

36.54%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.42

$3.68 £2.75

-24.46%

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

$2.82 €2.46

$2.29 £1.72

23.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.71

$1.59 £1.19

23.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.86

$5.01 £3.75

-11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.01

$6.14 £4.60

-24.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.11

$1.65 £1.24

-23.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.87 £1.40

13.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.73

$2.94 £2.20

-32.31%

Eggs

$3.37 €2.93

$6.49 £4.85

-48.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.96 €16.53

$9.55 £7.15

98.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 €8.31

$12.08 £9.04

-21.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 €16.33

$13.89 £10.39

34.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.31

$3.15 £2.36

-15.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.05

$1.58 £1.18

48.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.82

$2.86 £2.14

-26.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 €2.38

$3.48 £2.60

-21.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.71

$1.64 £1.22

19.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.58

$1.53 £1.14

18.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.32

$1.10 £0.83

37.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.78

$1.52 £1.14

-41.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €5.91

$18.73 £14.01

-63.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €6.90

$10.84 £8.11

-26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.19

$2.81 £2.10

-51.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.09

$3.11 £2.33

-22.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.54

$2.53 £1.89

15.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.66 €24.98

$87.3 £65.3

-67.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €3.99

$5.27 £3.95

-13.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 €1.78

$1.60 £1.20

27.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.72 €25.03

$23.35 £17.47

23.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.59

$2.04 £1.53

-10.78%

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

$39.3K €34.3K

$37.8K £28.3K

3.92%

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

$32.5K €28.3K

$51.6K £38.6K

-37.12%

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

$187 €163

$371 £278

-49.70%

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

$22.29 €19.43

$25.69 £19.21

-13.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.37 €31.71

$42.96 £32.14

-15.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €50.2

$50.2 £37.59

14.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 €18.08

$10.80 £8.08

92.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 €9.39

$13.61 £10.18

-20.87%

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

$725 €632

$1,592 £1,191

-54.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.2K

$18.7K £14.0K

-18.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €76.6

$82.9 £62.0

6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.81 €32.09

$44.18 £33.05

-16.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €90.2

$90.7 £67.8

14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €103

$83.4 £62.4

42.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 €1,328

$1,221 £913

24.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 €1,070

$982 £735

24.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 €2,378

$1,187 £888

129.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 €1,730

$1,708 £1,278

16.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,469 €6,511

$5,505 £4,118

35.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,243 €4,571

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,393 €2,086

$2,298 £1,719

4.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.63

-39.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: July 27, 2026

Last update for Bridgend: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,524 in Barcelona and $1,221 in Bridgend. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 4% 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 $80.0 in Bridgend for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $330 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

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 Bridgend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Bridgend differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,359 vs $2,440 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% 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: $1,524 in Barcelona versus $1,221 in Bridgend. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $725 in Barcelona versus $1,592 in Bridgend. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Bridgend. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,359 in Barcelona versus $2,440 in Bridgend, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Bridgend. 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 Bridgend 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 3% less than in Bridgend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.