Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Edmonton

For one person, living is cheaper in Edmonton: $2,188 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona, Spain
Edmonton, Canada
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Edmonton
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,188
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Edmonton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,188 in Edmonton.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Edmonton $2,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,196 in Edmonton.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Edmonton $3,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,203 in Edmonton.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Edmonton $4,203

Living in Barcelona is roughly 12% more expensive than in Edmonton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Edmonton 61% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Edmonton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.80
$19.92 CA$27.95
-11.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.6
$78.2 CA$110
-13.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.15
$10.14 CA$14.23
33.43%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.87
$3.96 CA$5.56
-19.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.62
$2.34 CA$3.28
24.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$2.03 CA$2.84
-6.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.60
$5.76 CA$8.08
-30.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.07
$6.34 CA$8.90
-28.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Edmonton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.62 CA$2.27
-19.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$2.15 CA$3.02
-6.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$3.03 CA$4.26
-38.94%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.34
$3.58 CA$5.03
34.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.03
$10.77 CA$15.11
55.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.19
$11.31 CA$15.88
-19.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.64
$18.80 CA$26.39
4.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.68
$4.13 CA$5.79
-27.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.40 CA$1.96
44.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.43
$4.24 CA$5.95
-36.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.52
$3.95 CA$5.54
-29.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$2.13 CA$2.98
-1.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.86
$1.79 CA$2.52
15.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$2.48 CA$3.48
-41.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$1.79 CA$2.51
-47.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.17
$14.32 CA$20.10
-52.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.08
$11.58 CA$16.25
-31.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$3.45 CA$4.85
-59.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.28
$2.98 CA$4.18
-14.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Edmonton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$2.64 CA$3.71
18.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.86
$72.9 CA$102
-65.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.69
$2.87 CA$4.02
4.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$1.42 CA$1.99
4.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.98
$20.99 CA$29.45
58.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.18 CA$1.66
52.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.8K
$27.5K CA$38.6K
20.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.5K
$20.7K CA$29.1K
52.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Edmonton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$231 CA$324
-21.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.43
$43.33 CA$60.8
-68.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.27
$54.8 CA$77.0
-38.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Edmonton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.27
$43.95 CA$61.7
17.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.34
$18.43 CA$25.86
-13.40%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.88
$12.60 CA$17.69
-12.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Edmonton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €823
$626 CA$879
46.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$9,741 CA$13.7K
69.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Edmonton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.2
$44.27 CA$62.1
96.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.59
$47.59 CA$66.8
-19.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €95.1
$87.9 CA$123
20.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €108
$97.1 CA$136
23.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Edmonton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,527
$1,088 CA$1,527
56.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,217
$913 CA$1,281
48.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,338
$1,720 CA$2,413
51.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,853
$1,382 CA$1,939
49.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,211
$2,243 CA$3,148
208.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,606
$1,946 CA$2,732
163.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Edmonton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,986
$3,428 CA$4,811
-35.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
4.32
-24.07%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Edmonton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Edmonton
$913 32.6% $442
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Edmonton
$363 12.8% $41
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Edmonton
$296 10.6% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Edmonton
$329 44.3% $101
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Edmonton
$125 21.1% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Edmonton
$69 5.9% $4.3
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Edmonton
$93 92.8% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,088 in Edmonton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edmonton pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $78 in Edmonton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $363 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇨🇦 Edmonton
🕒 Local time
21:24 9:24 PM
14:24 2:24 PM
7 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
1,010,899
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Edmonton 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Edmonton

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 Edmonton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Edmonton?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,188 in Edmonton, so Edmonton is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 36% 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 Edmonton?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,088 in Edmonton. 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 Edmonton?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $626 in Edmonton. 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 Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How far does $3,000 go in Barcelona compared to Edmonton?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Edmonton gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Edmonton?
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.

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