Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,192 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
154

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,192

/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 $3,192 in Cambridge.

Barcelona $2,453
Cambridge $3,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,469 in Cambridge.

Barcelona $3,509
Cambridge $4,469

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,746 in Cambridge.

Barcelona $4,564
Cambridge $5,746

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 23% less than in Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Cambridge 135% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$21.53 £16.08

-18.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$89.6 £67.0

-24.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.52 £7.86

28.61%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.70 £3.51

-32.13%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.68 £2.00

8.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.85 £1.38

2.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.93 £5.93

-49.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.77 £5.06

-33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.60 £1.19

-18.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.74 £1.30

16.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.51 £1.87

-26.29%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.57 £3.42

5.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$9.87 £7.37

69.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.79 £7.31

-6.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$16.03 £11.97

22.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.04 £2.27

-1.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.70 £1.27

18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.66 £2.73

-26.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.58 £2.68

-21.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.82 £1.36

14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.89 £1.41

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.24 £0.93

17.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.03 £1.52

-53.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$22.71 £16.96

-69.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$10.91 £8.15

-27.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.22 £2.40

-56.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.10 £3.06

-38.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.89 £2.91

-19.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$122 £91.2

-79.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.19 £6.12

-63.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.64 £1.97

-43.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$51.3 £38.36

-35.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.07 £1.55

-13.04%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.8K £29.0K

-14.44%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$40.3K £30.1K

-21.41%

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

$180 €162

$338 £253

-46.68%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$18.64 £13.92

-25.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$43.43 £32.44

-22.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$58.6 £43.78

-12.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$20.89 £15.61

-23.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$17.04 £12.73

-35.50%

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

$917 €821

$2,515 £1,879

-63.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$36.5K £27.2K

-54.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$90.3 £67.5

-3.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$48.31 £36.09

-20.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$93.3 £69.7

13.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$128 £95.6

-6.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$2,102 £1,570

-19.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,715 £1,281

-20.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$3,163 £2,363

-17.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,557 £1,910

-19.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$9,228 £6,894

-25.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$6,031 £4,506

-14.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,537 £3,389

-51.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.04

-34.92%

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 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Cambridge

$1.7K 53.7% 26.6% $360

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Cambridge

$331 10.4% 2.8% $9.1

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Cambridge

$332 10.4% 23.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Cambridge

$400 12.6% 75.7% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Cambridge

$162 5.1% 2.5% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cambridge

$93 2.9% 26.1% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cambridge

$159 5% 228% $111

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $2,102 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $90 in Cambridge for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $331 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

04:46 4:46 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

145,818

💱 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 Cambridge 1,210 km ≈ 2 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 $3,192 in Cambridge, so Barcelona is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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 $2,102 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,515 in Cambridge. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,192 in Cambridge, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. 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 Cambridge are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.