Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $2,237 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hamilton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $2,237 in Hamilton.

Barcelona $2,405
Hamilton $2,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $3,267 in Hamilton.

Barcelona $3,477
Hamilton $3,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $4,297 in Hamilton.

Barcelona $4,550
Hamilton $4,297

Living in Barcelona is roughly 7% more expensive than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Hamilton 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$17.65 CA$25.16

1.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$60.7 CA$86.5

11.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$11.96 CA$17.05

11.79%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$3.48 CA$4.96

-4.02%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$2.15 CA$3.06

37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.64 CA$2.34

15.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$4.87 CA$6.95

-20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$6.13 CA$8.74

-25.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.17 CA$3.09

-41.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.23 CA$3.17

-12.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.54 CA$3.62

-31.10%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$3.20 CA$4.55

52.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$7.91 CA$11.27

120.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$10.76 CA$15.34

-15.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$13.64 CA$19.44

47.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.82 CA$5.45

-19.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.21 CA$1.73

67.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$4.04 CA$5.76

-35.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$3.80 CA$5.42

-28.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.33 CA$3.32

-7.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.58 CA$2.25

39.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$2.17 CA$3.09

-29.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.30 CA$1.85

-28.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$12.33 CA$17.58

-42.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$13.26 CA$18.90

-42.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.45 CA$3.49

-39.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.37 CA$4.81

-18.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.49 CA$3.55

18.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$85.6 CA$122

-69.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$3.40 CA$4.85

-7.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.23 CA$1.75

17.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$23.37 CA$33.32

46.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.19 CA$1.70

50.42%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$27.5K CA$39.2K

26.00%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$19.9K CA$28.3K

52.36%

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

$181 €161

$149 CA$212

21.22%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$41.14 CA$58.7

-67.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$49.32 CA$70.3

-28.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$37.18 CA$53.0

42.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$17.33 CA$24.71

-7.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$10.19 CA$14.52

11.58%

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

$939 €838

$597 CA$852

57.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$16.2K CA$23.1K

1.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$48.29 CA$68.8

82.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$30.75 CA$43.83

29.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$86.2 CA$123

19.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$115 CA$163

4.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$1,263 CA$1,801

34.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$1,135 CA$1,617

14.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$2,006 CA$2,859

28.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$1,869 CA$2,664

3.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$2,659 CA$3,790

180.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$2,694 CA$3,840

92.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$2,896 CA$4,128

-20.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.6

-28.70%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Hamilton

$1.1K 50.2% 12.8% $166

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Hamilton

$327 14.5% 0.6% $1.9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Hamilton

$271 12% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Hamilton

$240 10.6% 4.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Hamilton

$126 5.6% 20.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Hamilton

$58 2.6% 24.2% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Hamilton

$105 4.7% 119% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,263 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $61.0 in Hamilton. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $327, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

09:55 9:55 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

519,949

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Hamilton 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hamilton

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 Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Hamilton differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $2,237 including rent). Hamilton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Hamilton. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,263 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $597 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,237 in Hamilton versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.