Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bristol

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,883 in Bristol, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Bristol
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Bristol Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bristol

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bristol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,883 in Bristol.

Barcelona $2,453
Bristol $2,883

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,161 in Bristol.

Barcelona $3,509
Bristol $4,161

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,440 in Bristol.

Barcelona $4,564
Bristol $5,440

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 15% less than in Bristol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Bristol 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$23.78 £17.77

-26.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$114 £85.1

-40.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.82 £8.08

25.05%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.14 £3.84

-37.94%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.69 £2.01

8.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.84 £1.38

2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.83 £5.85

-48.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.74 £5.04

-32.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.52 £1.14

-13.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.71 £1.28

18.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.10 £1.57

-11.90%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.25 £3.18

13.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$8.15 £6.09

105.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.82 £7.34

-7.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$12.88 £9.62

52.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.22 £2.40

-7.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.76 £1.31

14.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.70 £2.02

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.13 £3.08

-32.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.07 £1.55

0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.45 £1.08

42.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.23 £0.92

18.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.02 £1.51

-53.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$23.31 £17.41

-70.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$10.57 £7.90

-25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.89 £2.16

-51.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.65 £2.73

-30.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.40 £2.54

-7.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$125 £93.2

-79.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.50 £2.62

-14.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.62 £1.21

-8.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$26.41 £19.73

26.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.17 £1.62

-17.05%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.0K £28.4K

-12.56%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$40.0K £29.9K

-20.76%

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

$180 €162

$326 £244

-44.73%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$17.56 £13.12

-21.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$38.06 £28.44

-11.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$41.92 £31.31

22.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$11.75 £8.77

35.83%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.58 £11.64

-29.46%

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

$917 €821

$2,366 £1,767

-61.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$25.2K £18.8K

-34.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$100 £74.9

-13.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$47.78 £35.69

-19.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$108 £80.4

-1.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$96.6 £72.1

23.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,963 £1,466

-13.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,455 £1,087

-6.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$3,048 £2,277

-14.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,225 £1,662

-7.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$7,040 £5,259

-1.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$5,142 £3,841

-0.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,801 £2,839

-41.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.87

-32.65%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bristol: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bristol

$1.5K 50.5% 7.4% $100

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bristol

$309 10.7% 4% $13

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bristol

$355 12.3% 32.6% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bristol

$382 13.3% 67.6% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bristol

$158 5.5% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bristol

$73 2.5% 0.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bristol

$150 5.2% 209% $101

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,963 in Bristol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol pays 72% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $114 in Bristol. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $309, with Bristol cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Bristol

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

463,400

💱 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

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bristol 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bristol

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 Bristol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,883 in Bristol, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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 $1,963 in Bristol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,366 in Bristol. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bristol pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

For families, Barcelona is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bristol, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Bristol are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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