Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lincoln Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lincoln

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $2,288 in Lincoln.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $3,366 in Lincoln.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $4,444 in Lincoln.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 3% more expensive than Lincoln, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Lincoln 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$27.59 £20.55

-36.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$76.0 £56.6

-9.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$10.34 £7.70

35.98%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$5.41 £4.03

-48.61%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$2.26 £1.68

23.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$1.57 £1.17

31.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$6.91 £5.15

-35.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$6.59 £4.91

-30.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.48 £1.10

-16.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.47 £1.10

38.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$1.32 £0.98

45.45%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$3.40 £2.53

-2.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$9.15 £6.82

101.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$9.08 £6.76

4.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$11.87 £8.84

61.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.86 £2.87

-31.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.24 £0.92

97.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$2.85 £2.12

-25.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$3.07 £2.29

-7.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$0.98 £0.73

108.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.64 £1.22

12.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.24 £0.92

18.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.44 £1.07

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$18.84 £14.03

-62.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$10.21 £7.60

-22.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$3.87 £2.88

-64.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$3.16 £2.36

-26.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$4.42 £3.29

-32.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$87.8 £65.4

-66.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$4.13 £3.08

11.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.53 £1.14

35.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$47.13 £35.10

-38.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.98 £1.47

-7.07%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$34.1K £25.4K

14.29%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$40.8K £30.4K

-19.91%

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

$188 €162

$313 £233

-40.05%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$15.51 £11.55

47.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$46.54 £34.67

-21.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$43.31 £32.26

32.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$18.75 £13.96

10.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$16.05 £11.96

-30.28%

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

$721 €621

$1,848 £1,377

-61.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$20.8K £15.5K

-27.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$108 £80.5

-20.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$43.51 £32.41

-14.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$78.6 £58.5

29.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$102 £75.7

14.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$1,105 £823

38.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$868 £646

40.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$1,948 £1,451

38.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$1,466 £1,092

37.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$2,594 £1,932

178.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$3,247 £2,419

-27.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.56

-39.03%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Lincoln: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $1,105 in Lincoln. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $76.0 in Lincoln. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $285, with Lincoln cheaper for home cooking.

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 Lincoln: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Lincoln differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $2,288 including rent). Lincoln is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Lincoln earns 38% less. 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $1,105 in Lincoln. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $1,848 in Lincoln. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,288 in Lincoln versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lincoln but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.