Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Burlington

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,737 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Burlington

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,737 in Burlington.

Barcelona $2,453
Burlington $2,737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,881 in Burlington.

Barcelona $3,509
Burlington $3,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,025 in Burlington.

Barcelona $4,564
Burlington $5,025

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 10% less than in Burlington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Burlington 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$21.84 CA$30.51

-19.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$72.3 CA$101

-6.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.60 CA$14.80

27.64%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.31 CA$4.62

-3.63%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.00 CA$2.80

45.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.55 CA$2.17

21.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.57 CA$7.79

-28.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.11 CA$8.53

-25.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.60 CA$3.63

-49.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.86 CA$4.00

-29.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.78 CA$5.28

-51.06%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.76 CA$5.25

28.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$10.00 CA$13.97

67.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.59 CA$14.79

-13.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.78 CA$20.65

32.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.83 CA$5.36

-22.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.48 CA$2.07

36.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.67 CA$3.73

1.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.65 CA$5.10

-23.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.96 CA$2.74

6.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.92 CA$2.68

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.09 CA$2.92

-30.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.47 CA$2.06

-36.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$13.64 CA$19.06

-49.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$10.79 CA$15.08

-26.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.80 CA$3.92

-49.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.92 CA$4.09

-13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.65 CA$3.70

18.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$99.8 CA$139

-74.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.09 CA$7.12

-41.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.44 CA$3.40

-38.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$43.32 CA$60.5

-22.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.19 CA$1.67

51.26%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.8K CA$38.8K

19.44%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$21.7K CA$30.4K

45.83%

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

$180 €162

$144 CA$201

25.31%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$44.16 CA$61.7

-68.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$67.4 CA$94.2

-50.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$43.66 CA$61.0

17.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$30.23 CA$42.23

-47.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$16.13 CA$22.54

-31.87%

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

$917 €821

$902 CA$1,261

1.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$19.0K CA$26.6K

-13.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$69.3 CA$96.8

25.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$65.5 CA$91.5

-41.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$100 CA$140

5.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$99.8 CA$139

19.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,729 CA$2,415

-1.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,480 CA$2,068

-8.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,599 CA$3,631

0.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,176 CA$3,041

-5.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,270 CA$7,363

31.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$4,145 CA$5,790

23.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,285 CA$4,590

-32.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.52

-27.43%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Burlington: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Burlington

$1.5K 54.1% 9.2% $125

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Burlington

$346 12.7% 7.6% $24

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Burlington

$300 11% 12.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Burlington

$256 9.3% 12.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Burlington

$151 5.5% 4.7% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Burlington

$76 2.8% 3.3% $2.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Burlington

$128 4.7% 164% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,729 in Burlington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $72 in Burlington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $346 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Burlington

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

183,314

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Burlington 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Burlington

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 Burlington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,737 in Burlington, so Barcelona is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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 $1,729 in Burlington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $902 in Burlington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Burlington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Burlington on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.