Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and El Ejido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Ejido: $1,634 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in El Ejido
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El Ejido Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

El Ejido

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in El Ejido

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,634 in El Ejido.

Barcelona $2,381
El Ejido $1,634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,449 in El Ejido.

Barcelona $3,406
El Ejido $2,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,264 in El Ejido.

Barcelona $4,431
El Ejido $3,264

Living in Barcelona is roughly 46% more expensive than in El Ejido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, El Ejido 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$16.73 €14.88

6.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$67.6 €60.2

-2.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.10 €9.87

23.33%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.17 €1.93

41.01%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.31 €2.06

32.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.34 €1.19

44.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.29 €2.92

17.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.27 €2.91

40.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.13 €1.01

15.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.57 €1.39

33.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.63 €1.45

12.27%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.40 €3.02

35.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$16.79 €14.93

3.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.56 €8.51

-2.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$17.46 €15.53

13.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.58 €2.30

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.95 €1.73

4.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.95 €1.74

35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.69 €2.39

6.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.93 €1.71

11.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.92 €1.71

11.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.24 €1.11

18.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.71 €0.63

23.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$6.66 €5.92

4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.77 €5.13

35.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.21 €1.08

14.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.12 €1.88

24.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.71 €1.52

70.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$36.17 €32.17

-29.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.06 €2.73

-1.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.31 €1.17

9.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$16.86 €15.00

96.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$31.3K €27.9K

3.28%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$31.3K €27.8K

1.26%

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

$183 €163

$142 €126

28.68%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$18.78 €16.71

-27.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$29.88 €26.58

10.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.99 €37.35

30.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$16.57 €14.74

-0.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.00 €8.01

24.78%

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

$954 €849

$689 €613

38.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$9,454 €8,410

75.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$85.4 €76.0

0.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$35.45 €31.53

10.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$93.2 €82.9

11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$106 €94.0

12.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$902 €802

88.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$668 €594

91.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,326 €1,179

94.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$994 €884

93.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,015 €2,682

141.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,239 €1,992

123.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.99

9.70%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for El Ejido: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

El Ejido

$668 40.9% 47.7% $608

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

El Ejido

$288 17.7% 11.3% $37

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

El Ejido

$231 14.1% 14.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

El Ejido

$191 11.7% 16.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

El Ejido

$144 8.8% 8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

El Ejido

$60 3.7% 22.3% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

El Ejido

$53 3.2% 11.3% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $902 in El Ejido. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $68.0 in El Ejido. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $288, with El Ejido cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 El Ejido

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

89,975

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona El Ejido 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
El Ejido

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 El Ejido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and El Ejido differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,634 including rent). El Ejido 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 $2,451 in El Ejido 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 $902 in El Ejido. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $689 in El Ejido. 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 $1,634 in El Ejido versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in El Ejido but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes El Ejido 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 El Ejido 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 El Ejido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.