Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Derry

For one person, living is cheaper in Derry: $1,739 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Derry
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Derry Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Derry

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Derry

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,739 in Derry.

Barcelona $2,381
Derry $1,739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,610 in Derry.

Barcelona $3,406
Derry $2,610

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,481 in Derry.

Barcelona $4,431
Derry $3,481

Living in Barcelona is roughly 37% more expensive than in Derry, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Derry 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$18.59 £13.95

-3.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$72.3 £54.2

-8.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.86 £8.14

26.06%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.01 £3.01

-23.69%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.24 £1.68

37.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.63 £1.22

19.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.42 £4.07

-28.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.04 £4.53

-23.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.61 £1.21

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.33 £1.00

57.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.08 £1.56

-12.02%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.30 £2.48

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$7.45 £5.59

133.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.99 £6.74

3.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$16.91 £12.68

17.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.62 £1.97

14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.28 £0.96

58.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.77 £2.08

-4.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.30 £2.48

-13.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.34 £1.01

61.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.36 £1.02

58.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.95 £0.71

54.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.56 £1.17

-43.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$21.54 £16.16

-67.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.59 £7.94

-26.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.56 £1.92

-45.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.40 £2.55

-22.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.71 £2.78

-21.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$97.9 £73.4

-73.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$5.36 £4.02

-44.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.19 £0.89

21.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$34.47 £25.86

-3.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.88 £1.41

-1.06%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$38.1K £28.6K

-15.20%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$41.1K £30.8K

-22.84%

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

$183 €163

$131 £98.6

39.02%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$15.79 £11.85

-13.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$42.21 £31.67

-21.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$35.29 £26.47

54.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$13.36 £10.02

23.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$10.59 £7.95

6.04%

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

$954 €849

$925 £694

3.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$22.3K £16.7K

-25.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$94.7 £71.1

-9.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$40.13 £30.11

-2.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$105 £78.8

-1.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$62.4 £46.83

90.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$844 £633

100.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$662 £497

92.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,303 £978

97.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$993 £745

93.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,591 £3,444

58.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,837 £2,879

30.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.79

-31.52%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Derry: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Derry

$662 38.1% 48.1% $614

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Derry

$287 16.5% 11.6% $38

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Derry

$284 16.3% 5.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Derry

$189 10.9% 17.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Derry

$136 7.8% 13% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Derry

$56 3.3% 26.8% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Derry

$124 7.1% 162% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $844 in Derry. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $72.0 in Derry. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $287, with Derry cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Derry

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

04:10 4:10 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

85,016

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Derry 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Derry

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 Derry: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Derry differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,739 including rent). Derry is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $2,609 in Derry to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $844 in Derry. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $925 in Derry. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,739 in Derry versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Derry but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Derry 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 Derry 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 Derry gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.