Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Crawley

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,014 in Crawley, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Crawley, United Kingdom
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Crawley
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,014
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Crawley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,014 in Crawley.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Crawley $3,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,256 in Crawley.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Crawley $4,256

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,499 in Crawley.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Crawley $5,499

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 19% less than in Crawley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Crawley 123% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Crawley
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.72
$20.03 £14.89
-11.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.1
$68.2 £50.7
-1.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.12
$10.44 £7.76
30.36%
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.76
$4.92 £3.66
-36.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.67
$2.49 £1.85
20.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$2.07 £1.54
-6.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.42
$5.88 £4.37
-34.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.88
$6.18 £4.59
-29.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Crawley
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.40 £1.04
-10.71%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.89
$1.25 £0.93
69.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.03 £0.76
91.26%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.24
$3.41 £2.54
39.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.20
$13.57 £10.08
25.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €7.97
$8.41 £6.25
6.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.39
$13.48 £10.02
53.19%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.81
$3.33 £2.47
-5.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.95 £1.45
1.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$2.97 £2.20
-10.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.57
$1.96 £1.46
46.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.83
$1.61 £1.19
27.95%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.31 £0.98
66.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.21 £0.90
26.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.86
$1.45 £1.08
-33.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.20
$22.96 £17.06
-69.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.02
$9.10 £6.77
-13.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$2.06 £1.53
-31.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.39
$2.20 £1.64
22.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Crawley
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.95
$4.09 £3.04
-19.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.80
$152 £113
-83.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.75
$5.47 £4.07
-43.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.60 £1.19
-7.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.27
$20.44 £15.19
60.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.88 £1.40
-0.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.4K
$39.6K £29.4K
-16.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.4K
$36.9K £27.4K
-13.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Crawley
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$518 £385
-64.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.68
$15.35 £11.41
-7.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.78
$43.61 £32.41
-20.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Crawley
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.79
$60.0 £44.62
-14.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.59
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.85
$10.83 £8.05
2.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Crawley
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €840
$1,599 £1,189
-41.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.8K
$7,885 £5,860
182.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Crawley
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €78.1
$91.1 £67.7
-3.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.52
$40.90 £30.40
-5.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.1
$101 £75.0
3.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$124 £92.4
-5.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Crawley
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,511
$1,728 £1,284
-1.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,190
$1,421 £1,056
-5.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,397
$2,773 £2,061
-2.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,849
$2,392 £1,778
-13.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,371
$6,227 £4,628
14.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,522
$6,032 £4,483
-15.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Crawley
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €1,996
$3,298 £2,451
-32.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
5.64
-43.44%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Crawley: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Crawley
$1.4K 6.3% $85
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Crawley
$280 14.6% $48
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Crawley
$311 16.4% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Crawley
$577 149% $346
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Crawley
$161 2.5% $3.9
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Crawley
$82 11.1% $8.2
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Crawley
$182 268% $132

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,728 in Crawley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Crawley pays 47% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in Crawley. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $280, with Crawley cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇬🇧 Crawley
🕒 Local time
02:07 2:07 AM
01:07 1:07 AM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
112,448
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Crawley 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Crawley

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 Crawley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Crawley?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $3,014 in Crawley, so Barcelona is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 32% 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 Crawley?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,728 in Crawley. 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 Crawley?
Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,599 in Crawley. 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 Crawley?
A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 83% less than in Crawley. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,014 in Crawley, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Crawley. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Crawley?
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 Crawley safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Crawley are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Barcelona and Crawley?
It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Crawley on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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