Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Exeter

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,571 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Exeter despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
Learn more

Exeter Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Exeter

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,571 in Exeter.

Barcelona $2,453
Exeter $2,571

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,846 in Exeter.

Barcelona $3,509
Exeter $3,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,121 in Exeter.

Barcelona $4,564
Exeter $5,121

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 5% less than in Exeter, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Exeter 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$19.92 £14.88

-11.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$97.8 £73.1

-31.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.57 £7.15

41.38%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.96 £3.70

-35.69%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.17 £2.36

-8.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.51 £1.87

-24.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.45 £5.57

-46.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.16 £4.60

-26.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.52 £1.14

-13.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.68 £1.25

20.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.78 £1.33

3.93%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.30 £3.21

12.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$8.70 £6.50

92.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.71 £6.51

4.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$23.73 £17.72

-17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.12 £2.33

-4.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.43 £1.06

41.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.32 £1.73

16.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.19 £2.38

-12.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.27 £1.70

-7.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.97 £1.47

5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.61 £1.20

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.95 £1.45

-51.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$23.49 £17.54

-70.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$9.54 £7.12

-17.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.74 £2.79

-62.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.42 £3.30

-42.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.92 £2.93

-19.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$112 £83.6

-77.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.75 £4.29

-48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.53 £1.89

-41.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$23.92 £17.86

39.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.04 £1.53

-11.76%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.7K £28.9K

-14.22%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$40.1K £30.0K

-21.04%

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

$180 €162

$469 £350

-61.50%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$15.97 £11.93

-13.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$47.00 £35.09

-28.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$39.72 £29.66

29.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$13.18 £9.84

21.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$12.62 £9.42

-12.92%

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

$917 €821

$2,180 £1,628

-57.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$17.6K £13.2K

-6.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$68.0 £50.8

27.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$31.16 £23.26

23.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$105 £78.7

0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$74.2 £55.4

61.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,381 £1,031

23.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,050 £784

29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,160 £1,613

20.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,946 £1,453

5.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$5,743 £4,288

20.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$4,565 £3,409

12.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,062 £2,286

-27.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.11

-35.81%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Exeter

$1K 40.8% 22.6% $306

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Exeter

$334 13% 3.7% $12

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Exeter

$320 12.4% 19.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Exeter

$532 20.7% 133% $304

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Exeter

$125 4.9% 20.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Exeter

$65 2.5% 11.6% $8.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Exeter

$146 5.7% 201% $98

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,381 in Exeter. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Exeter pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $98 in Exeter for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $334 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Exeter

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

130,800

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Exeter 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Exeter

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 Exeter: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,571 in Exeter, so Barcelona is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,381 in Exeter. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,180 in Exeter. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Exeter. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Exeter are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Exeter on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.