Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lincoln

For one person, living is cheaper in Lincoln: $2,203 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Lincoln

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,203 in Lincoln.

Barcelona $2,381
Lincoln $2,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,290 in Lincoln.

Barcelona $3,406
Lincoln $3,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,376 in Lincoln.

Barcelona $4,431
Lincoln $4,376

Living in Barcelona is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lincoln, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Lincoln 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$26.70 £20.03

-33.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$85.8 £64.4

-22.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$8.14 £6.11

68.18%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.98 £3.74

-38.55%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.64 £1.98

16.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.97 £1.48

-1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.70 £5.03

-42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.58 £4.94

-29.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.40 £1.05

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.49 £1.12

40.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.34 £1.01

36.57%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.36 £2.52

37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$8.31 £6.23

108.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.59 £6.44

8.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$11.39 £8.54

74.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.48 £2.61

-13.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.20 £0.90

69.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.11 £2.33

-14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.65 £2.74

-21.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.47 £1.10

46.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.16 £0.87

85.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.04 £0.78

41.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.35 £1.02

-34.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$23.57 £17.68

-70.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.50 £7.88

-25.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.18 £2.39

-56.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.59 £2.69

-26.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$4.15 £3.12

-29.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$107 £80.3

-76.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.88 £2.91

-22.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.71 £0.54

102.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$19.84 £14.89

67.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.06 £1.54

-9.71%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$38.6K £28.9K

-16.15%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$40.4K £30.3K

-21.43%

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

$183 €163

$304 £228

-39.86%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$17.07 £12.81

-20.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$40.02 £30.02

-17.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$26.70 £20.03

104.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$21.35 £16.01

-22.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.55 £11.66

-27.78%

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

$954 €849

$1,831 £1,373

-47.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$20.6K £15.5K

-19.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$115 £85.9

-24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$58.6 £43.98

-33.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$84.9 £63.7

22.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$99.3 £74.5

19.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,078 £809

57.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$854 £640

49.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,936 £1,453

33.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,426 £1,070

34.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,503 £1,878

190.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,220 £916

310.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,307 £2,481

-32.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.88

-32.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lincoln: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Lincoln

$854 38.7% 33.1% $423

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Lincoln

$276 12.5% 15% $49

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Lincoln

$363 16.5% 34.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Lincoln

$361 16.4% 57.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Lincoln

$161 7.3% 2.8% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Lincoln

$58 2.6% 25.1% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Lincoln

$131 6% 177% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,078 in Lincoln. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $86.0 in Lincoln. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $276, with Lincoln cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

97,541

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Lincoln 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Lincoln

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 Lincoln: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Lincoln differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,203 including rent). Lincoln is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Lincoln. 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 $1,078 in Lincoln. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,831 in Lincoln. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,203 in Lincoln versus $2,381 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 8% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.