Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cambridge, Canada

Name: Cambridge
Address: Cambridge, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,527 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $890 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cambridge

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,527 in Cambridge.

Barcelona $2,453
Cambridge $2,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,443 in Cambridge.

Barcelona $3,509
Cambridge $3,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,359 in Cambridge.

Barcelona $4,564
Cambridge $4,359

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 3% less than in Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Cambridge 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$17.69 CA$24.82

-0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$56.7 CA$79.6

19.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$10.55 CA$14.81

28.25%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.56 CA$5.00

-10.39%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.99 CA$2.79

46.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.22 CA$1.72

54.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.19 CA$7.29

-22.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$6.26 CA$8.78

-27.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.99 CA$2.80

-34.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.41 CA$3.38

-16.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.19 CA$4.48

-42.01%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.32 CA$4.66

45.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$11.24 CA$15.77

48.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$11.38 CA$15.97

-19.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$14.43 CA$20.25

36.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$4.07 CA$5.70

-26.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.33 CA$1.86

51.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$4.05 CA$5.68

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.74 CA$5.25

-25.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.76 CA$3.87

-24.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.94 CA$2.72

6.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.00 CA$2.81

-27.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.29 CA$1.82

-27.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$12.93 CA$18.15

-46.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$12.40 CA$17.41

-36.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.63 CA$3.69

-46.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$4.04 CA$5.67

-37.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.80 CA$3.93

12.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$69.4 CA$97.5

-63.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.56 CA$3.59

16.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.80 CA$2.52

-17.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$23.32 CA$32.73

43.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.22 CA$1.71

47.54%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$26.5K CA$37.2K

25.25%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$20.7K CA$29.0K

53.28%

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

$180 €162

$152 CA$214

18.41%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$42.51 CA$59.7

-67.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$50.5 CA$70.9

-33.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$28.64 CA$40.20

79.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$10.74 CA$15.07

2.33%

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

$917 €823

$497 CA$698

84.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$15.8K CA$22.2K

4.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$63.5 CA$89.1

37.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$33.07 CA$46.41

16.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$82.3 CA$115

28.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$106 CA$148

13.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,529 CA$2,146

11.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,395 CA$1,957

-2.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,057 CA$2,887

26.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,870 CA$2,625

10.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$4,450 CA$6,245

55.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$3,682 CA$5,168

39.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$3,028 CA$4,250

-26.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.22

-37.16%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2% 2.9% $39

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Cambridge

$349 13.8% 8.4% $27

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Cambridge

$267 10.6% 0.3% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Cambridge

$245 9.7% 7.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Cambridge

$128 5.1% 19% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cambridge

$50 2% 31.8% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cambridge

$92 3.7% 90.2% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $57 in Cambridge. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $349, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

21:55 9:55 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

138,479

💱 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 Cambridge 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,527 in Cambridge, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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 $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $497 in Cambridge. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Cambridge. 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, Cambridge on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.