Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Darlington Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Darlington

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,356 in Barcelona versus $1,694 in Darlington.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,455 in Barcelona versus $2,733 in Darlington.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,553 in Barcelona versus $3,772 in Darlington.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 39% more expensive than Darlington, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 75% above, Darlington 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.01

$18.01 £13.34

-2.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €58.0

$82.1 £60.8

-17.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.96 €11.88

$9.38 £6.95

48.83%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.35

$4.72 £3.50

-41.53%

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

$2.76 €2.35

$2.05 £1.52

34.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.67

$0.65 £0.48

203.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 €3.85

$5.38 £3.98

-15.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.85

$4.46 £3.31

1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.05

$1.30 £0.96

-4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.73

$1.40 £1.04

45.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.63

$2.45 £1.82

-22.04%

Eggs

$3.39 €2.89

$3.69 £2.74

-8.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.34 €15.60

$10.37 £7.68

76.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 €7.99

$8.13 £6.03

15.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 €16.08

$7.32 £5.43

158.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.23

$3.52 £2.61

-25.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.04

$1.32 £0.98

81.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.80

$3.19 £2.36

-33.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.30

$3.69 £2.73

-26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.75

$1.13 £0.84

81.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 €1.52

$1.38 £1.02

28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.25

$0.97 £0.72

51.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.77

$0.79 £0.59

15.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.01 €5.97

$18.50 £13.71

-62.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.46

$10.71 £7.94

-29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.22

$1.18 £0.88

22.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €1.97

$1.86 £1.38

24.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 €2.50

$2.78 £2.06

5.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 €25.00

$84.8 £62.9

-65.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €3.85

$4.87 £3.61

-6.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.82

$1.52 £1.13

40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.97 €24.65

$16.33 £12.10

77.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.61

$1.91 £1.41

-1.05%

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

$39.0K €33.2K

$20.6K £15.2K

89.82%

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

$32.4K €27.6K

$31.4K £23.3K

3.35%

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

$189 €161

$269 £199

-29.70%

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

$22.24 €18.92

$15.80 £11.71

40.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.57 €31.12

$42.32 £31.36

-13.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.38

$27.32 £20.25

112.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.30 €18.13

$6.87 £5.09

210.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.37

$6.75 £5.00

63.11%

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

$731 €622

$1,555 £1,153

-53.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K €12.6K

$6,872 £5,092

115.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €76.0

$80.7 £59.8

10.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.38 €31.81

$27.33 £20.25

36.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €89.0

$84.7 £62.8

23.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.0

$71.8 £53.2

62.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,320

$676 £501

129.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 €1,035

$542 £401

124.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,382

$1,506 £1,116

85.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,709

$1,246 £923

61.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,161 €6,094

$13.7K £10.2K

-47.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,021 €4,273

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,462 €2,095

$2,607 £1,932

-5.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.6

-39.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: April 13, 2026

Last update for Darlington: April 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,551 in Barcelona and $676 in Darlington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darlington pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Barcelona vs $82 in Darlington. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $253, with Darlington 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 Darlington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Darlington differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($2,356 vs $1,694 including rent). Darlington is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Darlington earns 6% 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: $1,551 in Barcelona versus $676 in Darlington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $731 in Barcelona versus $1,555 in Darlington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,694 in Darlington versus $2,356 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Darlington but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Darlington 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 Darlington 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 Darlington gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.