Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Derry

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Derry: $2,399 and $2,484 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Derry
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Derry Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Derry

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,484

/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: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,484 in Derry.

Barcelona $2,399
Derry $2,484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,000 in Derry.

Barcelona $3,410
Derry $3,000

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,516 in Derry.

Barcelona $4,421
Derry $3,516

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 3% less than in Derry, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Derry 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$20.52 €18.25

-12.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$51.2 €45.58

32.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$9.39 €8.35

41.43%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.44 €3.95

-26.80%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.64 €1.46

83.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.63 €1.45

14.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.17 €4.60

-25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$6.68 €5.94

-32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.48 €1.31

-12.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.49 €1.33

36.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.06 €1.83

-16.50%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.40 €3.02

40.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.23 €11.77

26.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$10.04 €8.93

-11.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$13.19 €11.73

50.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.93 €2.61

1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.61 €1.43

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.03 €2.70

-9.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.15 €3.69

-35.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.02 €0.90

105.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.42 €1.26

46.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.02 €0.91

42.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.85 €1.65

-51.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$20.71 €18.42

-66.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$10.27 €9.14

-24.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.24 €1.99

-35.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.62 €2.33

-1.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.60 €2.32

15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$5.20 €4.63

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.41 €1.26

2.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$56.0 €49.78

-40.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.97 €1.75

-9.14%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$38.6K €34.3K

-10.23%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$36.9K €32.8K

-18.41%

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

$178 €158

$243 €216

-26.71%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$21.14 €18.81

-36.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$50.5 €44.90

-30.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$35.93 €31.96

48.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$25.84 €22.99

-38.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$13.02 €11.58

-15.05%

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

$957 €851

$1,196 €1,064

-19.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$5,163 €4,592

220.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$101 €89.9

-12.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$48.64 €43.26

-18.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$98.9 €87.9

4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$72.9 €64.8

66.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,574 €1,400

5.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,335 €1,187

-2.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,322 €1,176

93.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,085 €965

76.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$2,310 €2,055

215.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,702 €1,514

198.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,599 €2,312

-12.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.68

-10.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Derry: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Derry

$1.3K 53.8% 2.5% $33

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Derry

$307 12.4% 4% $13

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Derry

$298 12% 10.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Derry

$314 12.7% 39% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Derry

$145 5.8% 8.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Derry

$62 2.5% 17.8% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Derry

$23 * 0.9% 52.2% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,574 in Derry. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Derry pays 14% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $51.0 in Derry for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $307 per month, with Derry cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇪 Derry

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

85,016

💱 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 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 4% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,484 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Derry. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,574 in Derry. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,196 in Derry. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $51.0 in Derry. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,484 in Derry, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Derry. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Derry. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.