Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Les Ulis

For one person, living is cheaper in Les Ulis: $1,988 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Les Ulis
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Les Ulis Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Les Ulis

🇫🇷 France

$1,988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Les Ulis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,988 in Les Ulis.

Barcelona $2,453
Les Ulis $1,988

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,063 in Les Ulis.

Barcelona $3,509
Les Ulis $3,063

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,138 in Les Ulis.

Barcelona $4,564
Les Ulis $4,138

Living in Barcelona is roughly 23% more expensive than in Les Ulis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Les Ulis 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$19.13 €17.13

-8.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$79.6 €71.3

-15.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.58 €12.16

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.15 €4.62

-38.06%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$4.51 €4.04

-35.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.65 €2.37

-28.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.97 €7.14

-49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.76 €6.05

-32.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.57 €1.41

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.51 €2.25

-19.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.76 €2.48

-32.97%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.28 €3.83

12.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$22.52 €20.17

-25.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.59 €12.17

-32.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$22.34 €20.01

-12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.22 €2.88

-7.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.25 €2.02

-10.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.85 €2.56

-5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.16 €3.72

-32.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.83 €1.64

14.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.52 €2.26

-17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.89 €1.69

-22.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.90 €0.80

4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$14.65 €13.12

-53.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$9.20 €8.24

-14.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.72 €2.43

-48.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.67 €3.29

-30.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.73 €1.55

81.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$48.97 €43.86

-48.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.71 €7.80

-65.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.42 €1.27

4.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$46.36 €41.52

-28.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.20 €1.97

-18.18%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.7K €31.0K

-4.23%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.5K €33.6K

-15.53%

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

$180 €162

$245 €219

-26.27%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$15.36 €13.76

-9.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$29.42 €26.35

14.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$33.73 €30.21

52.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.72 €14.08

-30.09%

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

$917 €821

$1,800 €1,612

-49.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$25.6K €22.9K

-35.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$113 €101

-22.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$52.7 €47.24

-26.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$117 €105

-9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$157 €141

-23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$841 €753

102.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$625 €559

116.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,470 €1,317

77.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,106 €991

86.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$3,677 €3,293

88.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,939 €2,632

74.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.45

-4.93%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Les Ulis: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Les Ulis

$625 31.4% 53.9% $731

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Les Ulis

$401 20.2% 24.7% $80

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Les Ulis

$338 17% 26% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Les Ulis

$289 14.6% 27% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Les Ulis

$198 10% 25.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Les Ulis

$65 3.3% 11.3% $8.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Les Ulis

$72 3.6% 48% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $841 in Les Ulis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $80 in Les Ulis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $401 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Les Ulis

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

25,253

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Les Ulis 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Les Ulis

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 Les Ulis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,988 in Les Ulis, so Les Ulis is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,982 in Les Ulis 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $841 in Les Ulis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,800 in Les Ulis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Les Ulis gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Les Ulis are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.