Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Gijon

For one person, living is cheaper in Gijon: $1,731 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Gijon
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Gijon Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Gijon

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Gijon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,731 in Gijon.

Barcelona $2,399
Gijon $1,731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,543 in Gijon.

Barcelona $3,410
Gijon $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,355 in Gijon.

Barcelona $4,421
Gijon $3,355

Living in Barcelona is roughly 39% more expensive than in Gijon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Gijon 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$16.66 €14.82

7.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$66.9 €59.5

1.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$15.58 €13.86

-14.76%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.55 €2.27

27.45%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.92 €2.60

3.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.35 €2.09

-20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.89 €3.46

-1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.87 €5.22

-23.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.20 €1.07

7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.85 €1.64

10.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.37 €1.22

25.55%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.40 €3.91

8.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$12.23 €10.88

37.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$7.75 €6.89

15.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$13.71 €12.19

45.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.31 €2.94

-9.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.46 €1.30

39.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.68 €1.49

62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.20 €2.85

-16.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.25 €2.00

-6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.21 €1.96

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.28 €1.14

13.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.88 €0.78

1.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.64 €5.90

4.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$10.23 €9.10

-23.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.32 €1.18

9.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.71 €1.52

50.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.42 €1.26

110.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$33.40 €29.71

-24.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$5.46 €4.85

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.31 €1.17

9.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$29.03 €25.83

15.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.77 €1.57

1.13%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$37.6K €33.5K

-7.94%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$29.1K €25.9K

3.44%

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

$178 €158

$147 €131

20.87%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$17.99 €16.00

-25.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$23.12 €20.57

50.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$52.0 €46.29

2.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$9.38 €8.34

70.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$9.18 €8.16

20.48%

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

$957 €851

$476 €423

100.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$10.1K €9,025

63.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$93.3 €83.0

-5.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$31.34 €27.88

26.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$107 €95.6

-4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$117 €105

3.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$870 €774

90.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$725 €645

79.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,374 €1,222

86.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,037 €922

84.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,583 €3,187

103.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$2,116 €1,882

140.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,868 €1,662

22.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.43

-4.37%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gijon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Gijon

$725 41.9% 44.3% $576

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Gijon

$275 15.9% 14% $45

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Gijon

$263 15.2% 2.6% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Gijon

$188 10.9% 16.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Gijon

$157 9.1% 0.7% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Gijon

$70 4.1% 6.6% $5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Gijon

$51 3% 7.6% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $870 in Gijon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 22% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $67.0 in Gijon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $275 per month, with Gijon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Gijon

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

268,313

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Gijon 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Gijon

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 Gijon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Gijon differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,731 including rent). Gijon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $870 in Gijon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $476 in Gijon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,731 in Gijon versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Gijon but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Gijon 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 Gijon 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 Gijon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.