Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Burnaby

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Burnaby despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Burnaby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,678 in Burnaby.

Barcelona $2,453
Burnaby $2,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,827 in Burnaby.

Barcelona $3,509
Burnaby $3,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,976 in Burnaby.

Barcelona $4,564
Burnaby $4,976

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 8% less than in Burnaby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Burnaby 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$21.23 CA$29.79

-17.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$86.5 CA$121

-21.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$9.53 CA$13.37

41.97%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$4.67 CA$6.56

-31.69%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.45 CA$3.44

18.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.80 CA$2.52

5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$8.57 CA$12.03

-53.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$6.18 CA$8.67

-26.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.34 CA$3.28

-44.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.76 CA$3.88

-26.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.52 CA$4.95

-47.44%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.17 CA$4.45

52.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$14.05 CA$19.72

19.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$14.07 CA$19.75

-35.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$25.31 CA$35.52

-22.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$4.42 CA$6.20

-32.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.28 CA$1.80

57.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$4.61 CA$6.47

-41.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.61 CA$6.48

-39.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.81 CA$3.95

-25.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$3.54 CA$4.96

-41.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.74 CA$3.84

-46.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.10 CA$2.95

-55.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$14.23 CA$19.96

-51.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$13.39 CA$18.79

-41.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.05 CA$2.88

-31.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.33 CA$3.27

9.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.54 CA$3.56

23.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$81.6 CA$115

-68.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.88 CA$4.04

3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.51 CA$2.12

-1.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$26.45 CA$37.12

26.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.37 CA$1.92

31.39%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$28.5K CA$40.1K

16.28%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$20.9K CA$29.4K

51.34%

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

$180 €162

$126 CA$177

42.89%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$44.96 CA$63.1

-69.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$52.7 CA$74.0

-36.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$31.23 CA$43.83

64.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$10.52 CA$14.77

51.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$14.23 CA$19.97

-22.77%

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

$917 €823

$649 CA$910

41.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$52.2 CA$73.3

66.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$51.4 CA$72.1

-25.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$103 CA$145

2.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$79.0 CA$111

51.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,693 CA$2,376

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,406 CA$1,973

-3.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,623 CA$3,681

-0.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,985 CA$2,786

3.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$6,886 CA$9,663

0.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$5,338 CA$7,491

-3.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$3,149 CA$4,419

-29.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.76

-31.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5% 3.7% $51

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Burnaby

$431 16.1% 33.9% $109

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Burnaby

$327 12.2% 21.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Burnaby

$224 8.4% 1.8% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Burnaby

$129 4.8% 18.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Burnaby

$60 2.2% 18.8% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Burnaby

$102 3.8% 111% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $87 in Burnaby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $431 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

8 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

249,125

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Burnaby 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Burnaby

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 Burnaby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,678 in Burnaby, so Barcelona is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% 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 $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $649 in Burnaby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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