Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ealing

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,194 in Ealing, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Ealing, United Kingdom
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Ealing
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,194
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ealing

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,194 in Ealing.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Ealing $3,194

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,783 in Ealing.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Ealing $4,783

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $6,372 in Ealing.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Ealing $6,372

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 24% less than in Ealing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Ealing 136% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Ealing
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.75
$24.86 £18.51
-28.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.2
$93.9 £69.9
-28.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.14
$9.24 £6.88
47.29%
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.77
$4.99 £3.72
-37.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.68
$3.13 £2.33
-4.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$1.71 £1.27
12.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.43
$8.37 £6.23
-54.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.89
$5.92 £4.40
-26.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Ealing
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.50 £1.11
-16.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.90
$1.63 £1.22
30.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.93 £1.43
2.07%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.25
$4.29 £3.19
10.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.22
$8.33 £6.20
104.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €7.99
$9.14 £6.80
-1.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.42
$16.44 £12.24
25.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.82
$3.09 £2.30
2.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.68 £1.25
17.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.37
$1.98 £1.47
33.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.57
$3.63 £2.71
-20.66%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.84
$1.40 £1.04
47.14%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.95
$1.71 £1.27
27.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.30 £0.97
17.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.87
$1.65 £1.23
-41.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.21
$23.70 £17.64
-70.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.04
$11.26 £8.38
-29.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$2.74 £2.04
-48.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.40
$3.05 £2.27
-11.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Ealing
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.95
$4.93 £3.67
-32.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.84
$114 £85.2
-77.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.75
$5.19 £3.86
-40.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$3.23 £2.41
-54.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.32
$41.68 £31.03
-21.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.66
$2.03 £1.51
-7.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.4K
$39.0K £29.0K
-15.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.5K
$40.1K £29.8K
-20.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Ealing
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$293 £218
-37.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.70
$15.78 £11.75
-9.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.83
$36.08 £26.86
-4.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Ealing
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.87
$44.91 £33.43
14.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.62
$8.16 £6.08
100.74%
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.87
$17.71 £13.18
-37.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Ealing
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €842
$2,318 £1,726
-59.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.9K
$27.6K £20.6K
-19.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Ealing
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €78.2
$98.5 £73.3
-10.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.59
$33.40 £24.87
16.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.3
$102 £76.0
2.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$106 £79.0
10.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Ealing
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,514
$2,187 £1,628
-22.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,192
$1,797 £1,338
-25.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,401
$3,970 £2,955
-32.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,853
$3,280 £2,442
-36.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,382
$5,147 £3,832
39.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,530
$3,994 £2,973
27.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Ealing
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €1,999
$3,865 £2,877
-42.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
5.4
-40.93%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ealing: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Ealing
$1.8K 34.5% $461
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Ealing
$303 7.6% $25
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Ealing
$360 34.7% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Ealing
$345 48.9% $113
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Ealing
$153 2.4% $3.8
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Ealing
$80 9.2% $6.8
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Ealing
$156 215% $106

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $2,187 in Ealing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ealing pays 72% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $94 in Ealing. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $303, with Ealing cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇬🇧 Ealing
🕒 Local time
19:16 7:16 PM
18:16 6:16 PM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
113,777
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.744 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Ealing 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Ealing

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 Ealing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Ealing?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $3,194 in Ealing, so Barcelona is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Ealing?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $2,187 in Ealing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Ealing?
Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $2,318 in Ealing. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Ealing pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,194 in Ealing, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Ealing. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Ealing?
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.
Is Barcelona or Ealing safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Ealing are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Barcelona and Ealing?
It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Ealing on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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