Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Canterbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,998 in Canterbury, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
Learn more

Canterbury Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Canterbury

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,998 in Canterbury.

Barcelona $2,453
Canterbury $2,998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,289 in Canterbury.

Barcelona $3,509
Canterbury $4,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,580 in Canterbury.

Barcelona $4,564
Canterbury $5,580

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 18% less than in Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Canterbury 120% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.46 £16.78

-21.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$79.4 £59.3

-15.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.61 £7.92

27.52%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.26 £3.93

-39.35%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.02 £2.26

-3.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.52 £1.89

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.87 £5.88

-49.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.72 £5.02

-32.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.63 £1.22

-19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.33 £1.74

-13.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.51 £1.88

-26.29%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.73 £4.28

-15.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$11.75 £8.78

42.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.29 £6.94

-1.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$24.31 £18.16

-19.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.73 £2.78

-20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.50 £1.87

-19.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.65 £2.73

-26.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.80 £3.59

-41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.60 £2.69

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.72 £2.03

-23.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.56 £1.91

-42.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$3.08 £2.30

-69.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$24.15 £18.04

-71.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$15.74 £11.76

-49.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.94 £2.94

-64.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.08 £3.05

-37.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.11 £3.07

-23.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$187 £139

-86.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$6.55 £4.89

-54.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.69 £2.01

-44.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$39.61 £29.59

-15.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.00 £1.50

-10.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$39.3K £29.4K

-15.62%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$41.1K £30.7K

-22.94%

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

$180 €162

$420 £314

-57.03%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$38.40 £28.69

-63.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$52.9 £39.49

-36.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$47.92 £35.80

7.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$37.93 £28.33

-57.92%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$19.91 £14.87

-44.80%

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

$917 €821

$1,853 £1,384

-50.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$26.2K £19.5K

-36.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$79.1 £59.1

10.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$50.9 £38.05

-24.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$122 £91.2

-13.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$135 £101

-11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,420 £1,061

19.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,230 £919

10.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,225 £1,662

16.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,906 £1,424

8.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,440 £4,064

27.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$4,366 £3,262

17.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,891 £2,159

-23.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.51

-40.47%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Canterbury

$1.2K 41% 9.3% $125

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Canterbury

$422 14.1% 31.2% $100

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Canterbury

$350 11.7% 30.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Canterbury

$511 17.1% 124% $283

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Canterbury

$174 5.8% 10.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Canterbury

$88 2.9% 19.4% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Canterbury

$223 7.4% 360% $175

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,420 in Canterbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canterbury pays 31% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $79 in Canterbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $422 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

43,400

💱 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 Canterbury 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Canterbury

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,998 in Canterbury, so Barcelona is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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 $1,420 in Canterbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,853 in Canterbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Canterbury. 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Canterbury are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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