Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Durham

For one person, living is cheaper in Durham: $2,073 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Durham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $2,073 in Durham.

Barcelona $2,405
Durham $2,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $3,286 in Durham.

Barcelona $3,477
Durham $3,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $4,498 in Durham.

Barcelona $4,550
Durham $4,498

Living in Barcelona is roughly 16% more expensive than in Durham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Durham 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$19.57 £14.79

-8.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$93.4 £70.6

-27.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$11.40 £8.61

17.28%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$4.56 £3.44

-26.75%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$2.54 £1.92

16.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.04 £1.54

-6.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$6.08 £4.59

-36.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$5.33 £4.03

-14.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.95 £1.47

-34.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.54 £1.17

27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$3.03 £2.29

-42.24%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$4.37 £3.30

11.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$10.02 £7.57

74.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$8.86 £6.69

2.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$21.35 £16.13

-5.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.93 £2.21

5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.53 £1.91

-19.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.75 £2.08

-5.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$5.08 £3.84

-46.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.56 £1.18

37.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.70 £1.29

30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.06 £0.80

45.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.88 £1.42

-50.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$23.61 £17.84

-69.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$10.64 £8.04

-28.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$3.31 £2.50

-54.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.15 £2.38

-13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$3.23 £2.44

-8.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$86.9 £65.7

-70.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$6.39 £4.83

-51.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.93 £1.46

-24.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$23.68 £17.89

44.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.88 £1.42

-4.79%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$37.8K £28.6K

-8.35%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$41.1K £31.1K

-26.29%

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

$181 €161

$265 £200

-31.70%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$15.21 £11.49

-10.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$42.95 £32.45

-18.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$46.78 £35.35

13.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$12.51 £9.45

-9.11%

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

$939 €838

$1,300 £982

-27.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$25.2K £19.1K

-34.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$106 £80.3

-17.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$71.4 £53.9

-44.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$114 £86.1

-9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$97.2 £73.5

22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$1,539 £1,163

10.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$743 £562

74.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$2,661 £2,011

-3.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$1,565 £1,183

24.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$5,034 £3,804

48.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$3,862 £2,919

34.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$2,064 £1,559

11.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.18

-36.68%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Durham

$743 35.7% 42.8% $557

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Durham

$348 16.7% 7.1% $23

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Durham

$305 14.6% 12.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Durham

$323 15.5% 40.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Durham

$175 8.4% 10.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Durham

$72 3.5% 5.4% $4.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Durham

$116 5.6% 141% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,539 in Durham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 11% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $93.0 in Durham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $348 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Durham

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

42,100

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Durham 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Durham

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 Durham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Durham differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $2,073 including rent). Durham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,539 in Durham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $1,300 in Durham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Durham is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Durham 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 Durham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.