Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hillcrest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,081 in Hillcrest.

Barcelona $2,443
Hillcrest $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,686 in Hillcrest.

Barcelona $3,519
Hillcrest $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,292 in Hillcrest.

Barcelona $4,595
Hillcrest $2,292

Living in Barcelona is roughly 126% more expensive than in Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Hillcrest is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$7.87 R 129

124.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$38.34 R 629

75.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$6.01 R 98.6

126.46%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$2.71 R 44.53

14.39%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$1.14 R 18.70

163.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$0.90 R 14.71

114.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.45 R 40.23

56.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$2.50 R 41.05

74.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.18 R 19.28

5.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.98 R 16.13

116.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.50 R 24.59

31.33%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.32 R 38.10

105.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$8.19 R 134

108.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$5.05 R 82.8

77.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$7.27 R 119

184.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.29 R 21.22

144.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.93 R 31.60

2.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.95 R 31.93

35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.73 R 28.43

66.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.46 R 23.99

41.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.44 R 23.67

51.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.21 R 19.77

26.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.14 R 18.71

-14.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$3.71 R 60.8

87.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$4.80 R 78.7

64.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.41 R 23.10

0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.96 R 32.19

37.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.54 R 25.19

114.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$0.44 R 7.14

600.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.71 R 11.61

108.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$7.70 R 126

326.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.45 R 23.84

28.97%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$35.2K R 577.7K

-6.38%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$33.1K R 542.3K

-3.35%

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

$183 €163

$153 R 2,511

19.49%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$35.61 R 584

-60.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$39.04 R 641

-11.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$33.00 R 541

55.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

$13.55 R 222

20.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$7.29 R 120

51.71%

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

$944 €840

$310 R 5,092

204.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$7,429 R 121.9K

199.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$51.6 R 846

69.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$27.96 R 459

38.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$97.0 R 1,591

7.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$79.2 R 1,299

48.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$377 R 6,179

350.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$353 R 5,785

279.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$640 R 10.5K

320.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$732 R 12.0K

183.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$764 R 12.5K

837.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$575 R 9,430

783.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

11.78

-72.92%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Hillcrest

$353 32.6% 73.6% $984

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Hillcrest

$189 17.5% 42.2% $138

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Hillcrest

$139 12.9% 47.9% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Hillcrest

$228 21.1% 1.7% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Hillcrest

$115 10.6% 26.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Hillcrest

$48 4.4% 35.3% $26

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9% 79.5% $39

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 $377 in Hillcrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $38 in Hillcrest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $189 per month, with Hillcrest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Hillcrest 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,081 in Hillcrest, so Hillcrest is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $1,622 in Hillcrest 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $377 in Hillcrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $310 in Hillcrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hillcrest – a meal for two runs $38 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,081 in Hillcrest versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hillcrest but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Hillcrest 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.