Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and El Faiyum

For one person, living is cheaper in El Faiyum: $434 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 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
21

Cost of Living Index in El Faiyum
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El Faiyum Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

El Faiyum

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $434 in El Faiyum.

Barcelona $2,381
El Faiyum $434

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $693 in El Faiyum.

Barcelona $3,406
El Faiyum $693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $952 in El Faiyum.

Barcelona $4,431
El Faiyum $952

Living in Barcelona is roughly 449% more expensive than in El Faiyum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, El Faiyum is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$2.29 E£122

681.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$12.74 E£680

419.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$3.30 E£176

314.85%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.19 E£63.3

157.14%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.29 E£15.59

958.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.10 E£5.10

1840.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.89 E£47.70

334.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.25 E£120

104.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.74 E£39.61

75.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.67 E£35.72

213.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.62 E£32.99

195.16%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.16 E£62.1

298.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$3.03 E£162

472.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$4.23 E£226

119.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$6.74 E£360

194.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.46 E£78.1

106.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.61 E£32.60

232.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.54 E£28.93

390.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.32 E£16.87

796.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.26 E£14.00

730.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.29 E£15.74

641.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.25 E£13.22

488.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.23 E£12.18

282.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$1.73 E£92.4

300.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.54 E£296

41.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.21 E£64.6

14.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.96 E£105

34.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.05 E£2.84

5720.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$5.41 E£289

370.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.39 E£20.71

669.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.29 E£15.69

396.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$1.19 E£63.3

2689.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.41 E£21.65

353.66%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$33.3K E£1.8M

-2.76%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.2K E£1.3M

25.78%

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

$183 €163

$13.75 E£734

1229.16%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$6.55 E£350

107.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$13.01 E£695

153.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$27.39 E£1,462

99.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$2.17 E£116

417.51%

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

$954 €849

$23.56 E£1,258

3949.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$821 E£43.8K

1922.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$32.17 E£1,718

167.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$43.92 E£2,345

-10.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$126 E£6,719

-17.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$54.1 E£2,888

119.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$163 E£8,682

942.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$80.5 E£4,299

1485.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$258 E£13.8K

897.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$152 E£8,097

1167.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$427 E£22.8K

1603.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$221 E£11.8K

2165.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$70.5 E£3,762

3060.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-45.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for El Faiyum: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

El Faiyum

$81 18.6% 93.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

El Faiyum

$113 26% 65.4% $213

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

El Faiyum

$53 12.2% 80.3% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

El Faiyum

$33 7.7% 85.5% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

El Faiyum

$115 26.6% 26.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

El Faiyum

$32 7.3% 58.9% $45

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

El Faiyum

$7.5 1.7% 84.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $163 in El Faiyum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 3060% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $13.00 in El Faiyum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $113 per month, with El Faiyum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇬 El Faiyum

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

306,393

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona El Faiyum 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
El Faiyum

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 Faiyum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and El Faiyum differ by about 449% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $434 including rent). El Faiyum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3060% 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 $163 in El Faiyum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $23.56 in El Faiyum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 189% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $434 in El Faiyum versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in El Faiyum but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes El Faiyum 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 Faiyum 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 Faiyum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 449% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.