Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Liverpool Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Liverpool

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,341 in Barcelona versus $2,107 in Liverpool.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,462 in Barcelona versus $3,175 in Liverpool.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,582 in Barcelona versus $4,243 in Liverpool.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 11% more expensive than Liverpool, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 75% above, Liverpool 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 €15.08

$21.32 £15.80

-17.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 €58.8

$96.2 £71.3

-28.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.75 €11.77

$9.35 £6.93

47.06%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.36

$4.62 £3.43

-40.26%

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

$2.78 €2.38

$2.22 £1.64

25.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.75

$1.50 £1.11

36.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 €3.94

$6.64 £4.92

-30.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €3.93

$6.06 £4.49

-24.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.10

$1.71 £1.27

-25.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 €1.81

$1.58 £1.17

33.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.69

$2.16 £1.60

-8.80%

Eggs

$3.44 €2.95

$3.90 £2.89

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 €16.12

$8.25 £6.11

128.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 €8.09

$9.01 £6.68

4.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 €16.27

$15.39 £11.40

23.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.33

$2.83 £2.09

-3.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.03

$1.58 £1.17

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.78

$2.58 £1.92

-19.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.36

$3.56 £2.64

-22.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.69

$1.85 £1.37

6.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.53

$1.80 £1.34

-0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.29

$1.22 £0.91

23.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.77

$1.27 £0.94

-29.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.76 €5.79

$20.33 £15.06

-66.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 €6.46

$10.80 £8.00

-30.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.23

$3.13 £2.32

-53.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.06

$2.76 £2.04

-12.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.59

$2.76 £2.05

9.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.39 €24.30

$96.8 £71.8

-70.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.79

$4.17 £3.09

6.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 €1.76

$1.36 £1.01

50.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.33 €25.11

$15.98 £11.84

83.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.62

$1.88 £1.40

0.53%

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

$38.7K €33.2K

$39.0K £28.9K

-0.77%

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

$32.4K €27.7K

$37.9K £28.1K

-14.72%

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

$189 €161

$286 £212

-33.97%

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

$22.21 €19.01

$18.22 £13.50

21.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.82 €31.52

$41.86 £31.02

-12.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.64

$37.34 £27.67

55.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.99 €17.97

$16.72 £12.39

25.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.46

$17.69 £13.11

-37.54%

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

$726 €622

$1,654 £1,226

-56.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.0K

$16.3K £12.1K

-6.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 €75.6

$88.2 £65.3

0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.98 €31.66

$51.4 £38.08

-28.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €87.8

$128 £94.9

-19.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €102

$132 £98.0

-9.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 €1,307

$1,217 £902

25.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 €1,043

$780 £578

56.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,794 €2,392

$2,428 £1,799

15.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,027 €1,735

$1,305 £967

55.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,094 €6,073

$3,907 £2,895

81.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,849 €4,151

$2,608 £1,933

85.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,404 €2,058

$3,198 £2,369

-24.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.76

-41.15%

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

Last update for Barcelona: April 27, 2026

Last update for Liverpool: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,526 in Barcelona and $1,217 in Liverpool. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Liverpool pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Barcelona vs $96.0 in Liverpool. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $297, with Liverpool 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 Liverpool: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Liverpool differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,341 vs $2,107 including rent). Liverpool is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Liverpool earns 33% 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: $1,526 in Barcelona versus $1,217 in Liverpool. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $726 in Barcelona versus $1,654 in Liverpool. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,107 in Liverpool versus $2,341 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Liverpool but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Liverpool 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 Liverpool 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 Liverpool gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.