Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Farnborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Farnborough: $2,365 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Farnborough, United Kingdom
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Farnborough
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,365
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Farnborough

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,365 in Farnborough.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Farnborough $2,365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,648 in Farnborough.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Farnborough $3,648

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,932 in Farnborough.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Farnborough $4,932

Living in Barcelona is roughly 3% more expensive than in Farnborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Farnborough 75% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Farnborough
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.69
$19.45 £14.43
-9.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €59.9
$85.9 £63.7
-21.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.09
$9.40 £6.97
44.79%
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.75
$4.47 £3.31
-30.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.67
$2.75 £2.04
9.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.71
$2.04 £1.51
-5.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.41
$7.40 £5.49
-48.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.87
$6.65 £4.93
-34.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Farnborough
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.44 £1.07
-13.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.89
$1.54 £1.14
37.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$3.64 £2.70
-45.88%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.23
$3.33 £2.47
42.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.16
$8.68 £6.44
96.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €7.96
$8.49 £6.30
5.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.34
$13.16 £9.76
56.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.81
$1.72 £1.28
83.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.94 £1.44
1.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$2.87 £2.13
-7.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.56
$2.97 £2.20
-3.03%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.83
$1.61 £1.19
27.95%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.62 £1.20
34.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.36
$1.03 £0.76
48.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.86
$0.59 £0.44
64.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.19
$23.42 £17.37
-70.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.01
$11.58 £8.58
-31.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$2.66 £1.98
-46.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.39
$2.13 £1.58
26.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Farnborough
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.94
$2.75 £2.04
20.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.75
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.74
$2.99 £2.22
3.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.60 £1.19
-7.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.20
$11.90 £8.83
176.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.90 £1.41
-1.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.3K
$38.5K £28.5K
-14.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.4K
$40.0K £29.7K
-20.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Farnborough
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €162
$164 £122
11.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.65
$15.00 £11.12
-5.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.70
$43.20 £32.03
-20.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Farnborough
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.68
$56.3 £41.75
-8.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.55
$23.69 £17.57
-30.86%
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.83
$9.58 £7.11
15.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Farnborough
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €838
$1,599 £1,186
-41.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.8K
$24.0K £17.8K
-7.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Farnborough
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €77.9
$91.8 £68.1
-4.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.44
$39.65 £29.40
-2.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €92.9
$102 £75.5
2.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$121 £89.9
-2.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Farnborough
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,507
$1,682 £1,247
0.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,187
$1,307 £969
2.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,391
$2,477 £1,837
8.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,845
$2,444 £1,813
-15.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,356
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,512
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Farnborough
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €1,991
$4,037 £2,994
-44.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
5.16
-38.18%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Farnborough: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Farnborough
$1.3K 2.2% $30
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Farnborough
$272 16.9% $55
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Farnborough
$307 15% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Farnborough
$222 4.1% $9.5
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Farnborough
$160 1.7% $2.6
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Farnborough
$75 2.6% $1.9
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Farnborough
$22 * 55.4% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,682 in Farnborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Farnborough pays 80% 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 $86 in Farnborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $272, with Farnborough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇬🇧 Farnborough
🕒 Local time
23:17 11:17 PM
22:17 10:17 PM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
60,652
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Farnborough 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Farnborough

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 Farnborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Farnborough?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,365 in Farnborough, so Farnborough is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 44% 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 Farnborough?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,682 in Farnborough. 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 Farnborough?
Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,599 in Farnborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $86 in Farnborough. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How far does $3,000 go in Barcelona compared to Farnborough?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Farnborough 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 Farnborough?
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.

Barcelona vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?