Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Fuenlabrada

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuenlabrada: $1,705 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Fuenlabrada, Spain
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Fuenlabrada
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,705
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Fuenlabrada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,705 in Fuenlabrada.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Fuenlabrada $1,705

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,543 in Fuenlabrada.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Fuenlabrada $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,381 in Fuenlabrada.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Fuenlabrada $3,381

Living in Barcelona is roughly 44% more expensive than in Fuenlabrada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Fuenlabrada 25% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.80
$17.01 €15.28
3.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.6
$68.2 €61.3
-1.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.15
$11.35 €10.20
19.21%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.87
$2.03 €1.83
57.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.62
$3.34 €3.00
-12.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$1.90 €1.70
-0.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.60
$3.41 €3.06
17.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.07
$4.63 €4.16
-2.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.20 €1.07
9.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.00 €0.90
102.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$2.01 €1.80
-7.96%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.34
$3.95 €3.55
22.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.03
$17.93 €16.10
-6.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.19
$9.19 €8.25
-0.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.64
$21.26 €19.10
-7.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.68
$2.86 €2.57
4.20%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$2.38 €2.14
-15.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.43
$2.52 €2.27
7.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.52
$2.87 €2.58
-2.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$2.15 €1.93
-2.79%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.86
$2.15 €1.93
-3.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.53 €1.37
-4.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.60 €0.54
56.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.17
$6.01 €5.40
14.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.08
$7.77 €6.98
1.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.13 €1.02
24.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.28
$2.22 €2.00
14.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Fuenlabrada
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$1.43 €1.28
119.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.86
$32.96 €29.61
-22.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.69
$3.72 €3.34
-19.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$1.47 €1.32
1.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.98
$22.74 €20.43
46.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.83 €1.64
-1.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.8K
$33.8K €30.3K
-1.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.5K
$29.5K €26.5K
7.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$190 €171
-5.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.43
$17.91 €16.09
-22.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.27
$33.42 €30.02
0.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.27
$44.36 €39.84
16.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.34
$15.51 €13.93
2.90%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.88
$9.51 €8.55
15.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €823
$177 €159
418.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$6,069 €5,452
171.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.2
$72.5 €65.2
19.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.59
$36.43 €32.73
5.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €95.1
$76.9 €69.1
37.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €108
$94.8 €85.2
26.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Fuenlabrada
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,527
$886 €796
91.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,217
$670 €602
102.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,338
$1,325 €1,190
96.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,853
$1,018 €915
102.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,211
$3,314 €2,977
108.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,606
$2,188 €1,966
134.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,986
$1,692 €1,520
30.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
3.14
4.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fuenlabrada: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Fuenlabrada
$670 50.6% $685
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Fuenlabrada
$312 3% $9.7
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Fuenlabrada
$242 9.7% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Fuenlabrada
$242 6.1% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Fuenlabrada
$126 20% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Fuenlabrada
$63 13.8% $10
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Fuenlabrada
$50 2.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $886 in Fuenlabrada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 31% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in Fuenlabrada. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $312, with Fuenlabrada cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇪🇸 Fuenlabrada
🕒 Local time
00:06 12:06 AM
00:06 12:06 AM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
188,736
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Fuenlabrada 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Fuenlabrada

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 Fuenlabrada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Fuenlabrada?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,705 in Fuenlabrada, so Fuenlabrada is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Barcelona or Fuenlabrada?
Average pay runs 31% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Fuenlabrada?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $886 in Fuenlabrada. 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 Fuenlabrada?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $177 in Fuenlabrada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do commuting costs compare in Barcelona and in Fuenlabrada?
A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 23% less than in Fuenlabrada. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Fuenlabrada?
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.
Is Barcelona or Fuenlabrada safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Fuenlabrada are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Barcelona and Fuenlabrada?
It comes down to priorities – Fuenlabrada wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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