Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Collado Villalba

For one person, living is cheaper in Collado Villalba: $1,737 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Collado Villalba
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Collado Villalba Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Collado Villalba

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Collado Villalba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,737 in Collado Villalba.

Barcelona $2,453
Collado Villalba $1,737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,525 in Collado Villalba.

Barcelona $3,509
Collado Villalba $2,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,313 in Collado Villalba.

Barcelona $4,564
Collado Villalba $3,313

Living in Barcelona is roughly 41% more expensive than in Collado Villalba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Collado Villalba 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$14.63 €13.10

20.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$42.89 €38.41

57.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.87 €7.94

52.54%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.54 €1.38

107.14%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.74 €2.46

6.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.38 €1.24

36.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.38 €3.02

18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.23 €1.99

103.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.04 €0.93

25.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.01 €0.91

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.28 €2.04

-18.86%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.99 €2.68

61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$25.32 €22.68

-33.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.49 €11.18

-26.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$25.66 €22.98

-23.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.79 €2.50

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.30 €2.06

-12.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.24 €2.01

20.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.82 €4.31

-41.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.12 €1.90

-1.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.08 €1.86

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.98 €1.77

-26.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.60 €0.54

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.34 €5.68

8.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$9.98 €8.94

-20.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.04 €0.93

35.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.24 €2.01

13.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.66 €1.49

89.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$32.14 €28.79

-20.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.42 €3.96

-32.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.28 €2.04

-34.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$22.66 €20.30

47.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$36.0K €32.2K

-7.76%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$29.0K €26.0K

9.26%

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

$180 €162

$198 €177

-8.77%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$20.34 €18.22

-31.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$31.16 €27.91

8.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$44.36 €39.73

16.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$15.55 €13.93

2.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.65 €8.64

13.89%

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

$917 €821

$179 €160

411.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$5,975 €5,351

175.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$71.6 €64.1

21.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$35.56 €31.85

8.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$77.9 €69.8

35.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$95.6 €85.6

25.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$881 €789

92.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$670 €600

102.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,330 €1,191

95.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,000 €896

106.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$3,307 €2,961

109.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,245 €2,010

128.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,456 €2,200

-9.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.08

6.49%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Collado Villalba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Collado Villalba

$670 38.6% 50.6% $685

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Collado Villalba

$373 21.5% 15.9% $51

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Collado Villalba

$200 11.5% 25.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Collado Villalba

$249 14.4% 9.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Collado Villalba

$126 7.3% 20.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Collado Villalba

$64 3.7% 13.4% $9.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Collado Villalba

$55 3.1% 12.6% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $881 in Collado Villalba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Collado Villalba pays 11% 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 $43 in Collado Villalba. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $373, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Collado Villalba

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

65,657

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Collado Villalba 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Collado Villalba

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 Collado Villalba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,737 in Collado Villalba, so Collado Villalba is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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 $881 in Collado Villalba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $179 in Collado Villalba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Collado Villalba gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Collado Villalba are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.