Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Exeter Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Exeter

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,377 in Exeter.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,496 in Barcelona versus $3,895 in Exeter.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,592 in Barcelona versus $5,414 in Exeter.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 1% more expensive than Exeter, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Exeter 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 €15.22

$20.56 £15.32

-14.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.1 €60.3

$86.9 £64.8

-19.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €11.76

$10.09 £7.51

35.38%

Cappuccino

$2.74 €2.36

$4.42 £3.29

-38.01%

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

$2.79 €2.40

$3.05 £2.27

-8.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.69

$1.74 £1.30

12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.36 €3.76

$7.52 £5.60

-42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €3.94

$5.97 £4.45

-23.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.11

$1.78 £1.33

-27.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.77

$1.90 £1.42

7.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.71

$1.72 £1.28

15.12%

Eggs

$3.39 €2.92

$4.88 £3.64

-30.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.64 €16.05

$8.28 £6.16

125.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 €8.23

$6.79 £5.05

40.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.83 €16.22

$19.18 £14.29

-1.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.37

$2.34 £1.74

17.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.13

$1.24 £0.92

99.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.80

$2.31 £1.72

-9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.82 €2.43

$3.15 £2.35

-10.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.74

$1.09 £0.81

85.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.29 £0.96

43.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.30

$1.05 £0.78

43.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.77

$1.40 £1.04

-35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 €6.08

$21.57 £16.07

-67.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 €6.87

$9.65 £7.19

-17.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.23

$2.66 £1.98

-46.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €1.97

$2.59 £1.93

-11.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 €2.48

$2.78 £2.07

3.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.39 €24.45

$105 £78.5

-73.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 €3.77

$6.75 £5.02

-35.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.84

$1.64 £1.22

30.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.15 €25.10

$21.97 £16.37

32.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.61

$1.98 £1.47

-6.06%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$38.7K £28.8K

0.70%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$38.8K £28.9K

-15.70%

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

$189 €163

$346 £258

-45.30%

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

$22.71 €19.56

$16.03 £11.94

41.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.51 €31.43

$45.36 £33.79

-19.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 €49.59

$39.65 £29.53

45.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.37 €18.40

$14.29 £10.64

49.55%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 €9.31

$12.00 £8.94

-9.92%

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

$726 €625

$1,499 £1,116

-51.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K €13.0K

$21.1K £15.8K

-28.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €75.5

$76.6 £57.1

14.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.89 €31.77

$34.22 £25.49

7.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €89.2

$102 £75.9

1.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €100

$112 £83.1

4.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 €1,355

$1,343 £1,000

17.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,050

$998 £744

22.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,711 €2,335

$2,533 £1,886

7.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 €1,693

$2,455 £1,828

-19.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,811 €6,726

$5,365 £3,996

45.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,267 €4,535

$6,696 £4,987

-21.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,375 €2,045

$3,070 £2,287

-22.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.72

-40.73%

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

Last update for Barcelona: June 14, 2026

Last update for Exeter: June 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,573 in Barcelona and $1,343 in Exeter. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Exeter pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Barcelona vs $87.0 in Exeter. Groceries flip the comparison at $321 vs $288, with Exeter cheaper for home cooking.

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

Barcelona and Exeter differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,377 including rent). Exeter is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Exeter earns 29% less. 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: $1,573 in Barcelona versus $1,343 in Exeter. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $726 in Barcelona versus $1,499 in Exeter. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,377 in Exeter versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Exeter but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Exeter 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 Exeter 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 Exeter gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.