Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and the Canary Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in the Canary Islands: $1,638 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
Learn more

Canary Islands Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in the Canary Islands

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 the Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,638 in the Canary Islands.

Barcelona $2,453
Canary Islands $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,372 in the Canary Islands.

Barcelona $3,509
Canary Islands $2,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,106 in the Canary Islands.

Barcelona $4,564
Canary Islands $3,106

Living in Barcelona is roughly 50% more expensive than in the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Canary Islands 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$20.18 €18.07

-12.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$60.0 €53.7

12.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.48 €8.49

42.72%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.03 €1.82

57.14%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.85 €1.66

57.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.11 €0.99

70.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.75 €2.46

45.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.34 €2.99

35.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.33 €1.19

-1.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.47 €2.21

-18.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.55 €1.38

19.35%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.18 €1.95

121.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$19.29 €17.28

-13.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.07 €9.02

-9.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$17.76 €15.90

10.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.66 €2.38

12.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.29 €2.05

-11.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.18 €1.95

23.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.51 €2.25

11.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.08 €1.86

0.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.00 €1.79

3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.69 €1.51

-13.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.91 €0.82

3.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$4.70 €4.21

46.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$7.83 €7.02

0.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.62 €1.45

-12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.74 €1.56

45.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.82 €0.73

282.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.23 €3.79

-29.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.63 €1.46

-8.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$17.05 €15.27

95.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.70 €1.52

5.88%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$24.1K €21.6K

37.72%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$30.6K €27.4K

3.73%

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

$180 €162

$122 €110

47.39%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$21.05 €18.85

-34.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$34.53 €30.93

-2.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$47.66 €42.69

8.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$24.64 €22.07

-35.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.93 €8.89

10.67%

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

$917 €821

$398 €357

130.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$4,943 €4,427

233.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$67.9 €60.8

28.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$39.80 €35.65

-3.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$92.4 €82.7

14.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$112 €100

6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,121 €1,004

51.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$672 €602

101.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$844 €756

144.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,366 €1,224

61.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.33

-1.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Canary Islands

$672 41% 50.4% $683

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Canary Islands

$318 19.4% 1.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Canary Islands

$246 15.1% 8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Canary Islands

$178 10.9% 21.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Canary Islands

$140 8.6% 11.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Canary Islands

$68 4.1% 8.1% $6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 67.7% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,121 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $60 in the Canary Islands for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $318 per month, with the Canary Islands cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

12,050

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Canary Islands 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,638 in the Canary Islands, so Canary Islands is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,121 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $398 in the Canary Islands. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,638 in the Canary Islands – Canary Islands is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,638 in the Canary Islands versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in the Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Canary Islands 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 Canary Islands are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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