Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Castelldefels

For one person, living is cheaper in Castelldefels: $1,903 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Castelldefels, Spain
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Castelldefels
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,903
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Castelldefels

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,903 in Castelldefels.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Castelldefels $1,903

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,753 in Castelldefels.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Castelldefels $2,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,603 in Castelldefels.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Castelldefels $3,603

Living in Barcelona is roughly 29% more expensive than in Castelldefels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Castelldefels 40% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Castelldefels
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.75
$18.29 €16.38
-3.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.5
$66.4 €59.5
1.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$12.55 €11.24
7.81%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.86
$2.64 €2.36
20.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$2.61 €2.34
11.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$1.93 €1.73
-2.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$3.38 €3.03
18.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$4.52 €4.05
0.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Castelldefels
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.22 €1.09
7.38%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.37 €1.23
47.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$1.84 €1.65
0.54%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.33
$3.52 €3.15
37.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €14.99
$11.03 €9.87
51.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.17
$7.98 €7.14
14.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.59
$15.57 €13.94
26.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$2.59 €2.32
15.06%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.81 €1.62
11.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.42
$1.83 €1.64
47.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.51
$2.58 €2.31
8.53%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$1.69 €1.52
23.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$1.78 €1.60
16.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.10 €0.98
32.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.76 €0.68
23.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.15
$6.65 €5.95
3.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.06
$5.72 €5.13
37.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.30 €1.16
8.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.27
$1.70 €1.52
49.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Castelldefels
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$1.75 €1.57
79.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.79
$32.27 €28.90
-21.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.68
$3.00 €2.69
-0.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$1.51 €1.35
-1.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.89
$23.69 €21.22
40.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.76 €1.57
2.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.7K
$33.3K €29.8K
-0.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.4K
$31.5K €28.2K
0.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Castelldefels
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$182 €163
-0.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.39
$16.04 €14.37
-13.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.18
$34.33 €30.75
-1.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Castelldefels
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.13
$45.47 €40.72
13.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.29
$15.49 €13.87
3.03%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.85
$11.39 €10.20
-3.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Castelldefels
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €821
$606 €543
51.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$11.9K €10.7K
38.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Castelldefels
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €77.9
$88.0 €78.8
-1.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.49
$38.68 €34.64
-0.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.8
$96.2 €86.2
10.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$118 €106
1.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Castelldefels
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,522
$1,024 €917
65.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,214
$885 €793
53.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,331
$1,825 €1,634
42.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,847
$1,293 €1,158
59.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,193
$3,331 €2,983
107.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,592
$2,219 €1,987
131.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Castelldefels
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,980
$4,358 €3,903
-49.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
3.28
-

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Castelldefels: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Castelldefels
$885 34.7% $470
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Castelldefels
$255 20.9% $67
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Castelldefels
$260 3% $8.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Castelldefels
$232 1.9% $4.4
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Castelldefels
$153 3% $4.7
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Castelldefels
$68 7.1% $5.3
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Castelldefels
$50 2.8% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,024 in Castelldefels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castelldefels pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $66 in Castelldefels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $255 per month, with Castelldefels cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇪🇸 Castelldefels
🕒 Local time
20:04 8:04 PM
20:04 8:04 PM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
68,427
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Castelldefels 20 km
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Castelldefels

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 Castelldefels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Castelldefels?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,903 in Castelldefels, so Castelldefels is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 49% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Castelldefels?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,024 in Castelldefels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Castelldefels?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $606 in Castelldefels. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do commuting costs compare in Barcelona and in Castelldefels?
A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 21% less than in Castelldefels. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Castelldefels?
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.
Is Barcelona or Castelldefels safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Castelldefels are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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