Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Folkestone

For one person, living is cheaper in Folkestone: $1,977 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Folkestone
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Folkestone Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Folkestone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Folkestone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,977 in Folkestone.

Barcelona $2,381
Folkestone $1,977

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,052 in Folkestone.

Barcelona $3,406
Folkestone $3,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,128 in Folkestone.

Barcelona $4,431
Folkestone $4,128

Living in Barcelona is roughly 20% more expensive than in Folkestone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Folkestone 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$17.37 £13.03

2.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$66.7 £50.1

-0.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.54 £7.90

29.89%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.74 £3.56

-35.44%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.72 £2.04

12.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.84 £1.38

5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.75 £5.06

-42.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.45 £4.84

-28.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.50 £1.13

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.33 £1.00

57.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.30 £0.98

40.77%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.98 £2.23

55.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$9.60 £7.20

80.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$7.80 £5.85

18.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.76 £11.07

34.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.25 £2.44

-7.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.45 £1.09

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.79 £2.09

-5.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.26 £2.44

-11.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.59 £1.20

35.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.41 £1.06

52.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.69 £1.27

-13.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.48 £1.11

-40.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$23.97 £17.98

-71.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.79 £8.09

-27.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.78 £2.09

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.67 £2.75

-28.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.71 £2.03

7.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$32.78 £24.59

-22.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.32 £0.99

127.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.68 £1.26

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$21.69 £16.28

53.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.98 £1.48

-6.06%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$38.4K £28.8K

-15.73%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$40.6K £30.5K

-21.90%

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

$183 €163

$253 £190

-27.67%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$24.53 £18.40

-44.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$40.77 £30.58

-19.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$73.1 £54.8

-25.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$9.46 £7.10

74.63%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$21.11 £15.84

-46.80%

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

$954 €849

$1,046 £785

-8.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$20.3K £15.2K

-18.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$69.4 £52.1

23.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$31.93 £23.95

22.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$77.6 £58.2

33.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$51.1 £38.30

132.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,130 £848

49.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$810 £607

57.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,479 £1,109

74.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,631 £1,224

17.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,465 £2,600

110.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,474 £2,606

44.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.91

-33.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Folkestone: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Folkestone

$810 41% 36.5% $466

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Folkestone

$285 14.4% 12.4% $40

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Folkestone

$292 14.8% 8.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Folkestone

$318 16.1% 38.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Folkestone

$103 5.2% 33.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Folkestone

$115 5.8% 49.5% $38

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Folkestone

$53 2.7% 12.7% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,130 in Folkestone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $67.0 in Folkestone. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $285, with Folkestone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Folkestone

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

45,273

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Folkestone 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Folkestone

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 Folkestone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Folkestone differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,977 including rent). Folkestone 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 $2,966 in Folkestone 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 $1,130 in Folkestone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,046 in Folkestone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,977 in Folkestone versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Folkestone but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Folkestone 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 Folkestone 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 Folkestone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.