Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cardiff Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cardiff

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $2,422 in Cardiff.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $3,441 in Cardiff.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $4,459 in Cardiff.

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 2% less than in Cardiff, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Cardiff 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$20.31 £15.13

-13.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$86.7 £64.5

-21.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$10.72 £7.99

31.16%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$4.67 £3.48

-40.47%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$2.47 £1.84

13.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$1.71 £1.27

20.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$6.76 £5.03

-34.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$6.22 £4.64

-25.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.94 £1.44

-36.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.73 £1.29

17.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$2.99 £2.23

-35.79%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$4.65 £3.46

-28.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$10.18 £7.59

81.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$8.98 £6.69

5.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$9.59 £7.14

99.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$2.85 £2.13

-7.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.60 £1.19

53.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$3.22 £2.40

-34.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$5.62 £4.18

-49.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.71 £1.27

19.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.53 £1.14

20.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.14 £0.85

28.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.66 £1.24

-49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$19.98 £14.88

-64.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$11.21 £8.35

-29.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$3.29 £2.45

-58.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$3.66 £2.72

-36.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$3.16 £2.35

-5.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$77.5 £57.7

-62.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$4.16 £3.10

10.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$2.58 £1.92

-19.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$20.27 £15.10

43.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.92 £1.43

-4.17%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$37.8K £28.1K

3.28%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$54.5K £40.6K

-40.00%

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

$188 €162

$294 £219

-36.12%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$20.08 £14.95

14.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$43.76 £32.59

-16.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$38.71 £28.83

48.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$8.51 £6.34

143.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$7.67 £5.71

45.89%

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

$721 €621

$1,987 £1,480

-63.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$33.6K £25.1K

-55.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$69.7 £51.9

23.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$36.31 £27.04

2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$73.2 £54.5

39.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$66.3 £49.40

74.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$1,333 £993

15.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$1,142 £851

6.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$2,538 £1,890

6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$1,658 £1,235

21.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$5,553 £4,136

30.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

$3,455 £2,573

50.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$3,236 £2,410

-27.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

-43.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Cardiff: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $1,333 in Cardiff. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cardiff pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $87.0 in Cardiff. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $315, with Cardiff cheaper for home cooking.

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 Cardiff: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Cardiff differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $2,422 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Cardiff earns 37% less. 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $1,333 in Cardiff. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $1,987 in Cardiff. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Cardiff pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,367 in Barcelona versus $2,422 in Cardiff, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Cardiff. 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 Cardiff are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Cardiff. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.