Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Derby Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Derby

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,359 in Barcelona versus $2,183 in Derby.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,498 in Barcelona versus $3,285 in Derby.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,638 in Barcelona versus $4,387 in Derby.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 8% more expensive than in Derby, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Derby 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.15 €14.86

$25.14 £18.63

-31.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €58.9

$81.5 £60.4

-16.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €11.82

$10.81 £8.01

26.18%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.41

$4.96 £3.68

-43.95%

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

$2.82 €2.44

$2.23 £1.65

26.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.70

$1.64 £1.21

19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.84

$6.41 £4.75

-30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.99

$5.29 £3.92

-12.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.10

$1.48 £1.10

-14.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.85

$1.42 £1.06

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.72

$2.49 £1.84

-20.08%

Eggs

$3.37 €2.92

$3.85 £2.85

-12.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.96 €16.42

$9.22 £6.84

105.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 €8.26

$8.74 £6.48

9.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 €16.22

$13.26 £9.83

41.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.29

$4.54 £3.36

-41.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.04

$2.76 £2.05

-14.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.81

$2.96 £2.20

-29.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 €2.37

$3.17 £2.35

-13.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.70

$0.98 £0.73

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.56

$1.72 £1.27

5.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.31

$1.13 £0.84

33.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.77

$1.44 £1.07

-38.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €5.87

$18.95 £14.05

-64.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €6.86

$10.78 £7.99

-26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.19

$2.74 £2.03

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.08

$3.31 £2.46

-27.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.52

$2.70 £2.00

7.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.66 €24.82

$93.1 £69.0

-69.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €3.96

$4.62 £3.43

-0.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 €1.77

$1.55 £1.15

31.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.72 €24.87

$24.43 £18.11

17.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.58

$1.88 £1.39

-3.19%

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

$39.3K €34.0K

$38.4K £28.5K

2.35%

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

$32.5K €28.1K

$41.1K £30.5K

-21.02%

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

$187 €162

$343 £255

-45.65%

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

$22.29 €19.30

$15.34 £11.37

45.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.37 €31.50

$48.03 £35.60

-24.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €49.82

$46.30 £34.32

24.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 €17.96

$24.99 £18.52

-17.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 €9.33

$15.67 £11.62

-31.27%

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

$725 €628

$1,888 £1,400

-61.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.1K

$21.1K £15.7K

-28.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €76.1

$117 £86.4

-24.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.81 €31.88

$59.1 £43.83

-37.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €89.6

$79.6 £59.0

29.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €103

$101 £74.8

17.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 €1,319

$768 £570

98.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 €1,062

$743 £550

65.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 €2,362

$1,465 £1,086

86.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 €1,718

$1,376 £1,020

44.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,469 €6,468

$5,728 £4,245

30.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,243 €4,541

$3,135 £2,324

67.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,393 €2,072

$3,584 £2,657

-33.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.56

-39.03%

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

Last update for Barcelona: July 27, 2026

Last update for Derby: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,524 in Barcelona and $768 in Derby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Derby pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $81.0 in Derby. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $303, with Derby 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 Derby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Derby differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,359 vs $2,183 including rent). Derby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Derby. 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: $1,524 in Barcelona versus $768 in Derby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $725 in Barcelona versus $1,888 in Derby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,183 in Derby versus $2,359 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Derby but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Derby 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 Derby 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 Derby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.