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: $2,434 in Barcelona versus $2,215 in Liverpool.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,473 in Barcelona versus $3,357 in Liverpool.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,512 in Barcelona versus $4,498 in Liverpool.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 10% more expensive than in Liverpool, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Liverpool 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.80 €16.09

$25.84 £18.94

-27.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 €59.4

$109 £80.3

-36.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.08 €12.05

$9.99 £7.32

40.94%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.66

$5.02 £3.68

-37.85%

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

$2.91 €2.49

$2.41 £1.77

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.60

$1.94 £1.42

-3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.00 €3.42

$6.70 £4.91

-40.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 €3.97

$6.63 £4.86

-30.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.02

$1.83 £1.34

-34.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.82

$1.70 £1.25

25.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.57

$2.14 £1.57

-14.02%

Eggs

$5.13 €4.39

$3.92 £2.87

30.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.39 €14.02

$7.92 £5.81

106.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 €8.31

$8.22 £6.02

18.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.65 €16.81

$14.40 £10.56

36.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.68

$2.82 £2.06

10.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.87

$1.70 £1.25

28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.11

$2.86 £2.10

-13.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.37

$3.03 £2.22

-8.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.82

$1.98 £1.45

7.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.90

$1.48 £1.09

50.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.27

$1.30 £0.95

14.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.78

$1.57 £1.15

-42.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 €6.21

$24.11 £17.67

-69.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.29 €7.09

$10.11 £7.41

-18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.32

$2.94 £2.15

-47.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.30

$3.12 £2.28

-14.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 €2.63

$2.78 £2.04

10.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.93 €22.18

$104 £76.4

-75.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 €2.86

$5.15 £3.77

-35.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 €1.61

$2.78 £2.04

-32.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.98 €29.92

$22.55 £16.53

55.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.49

$2.07 £1.52

-15.94%

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

$36.5K €31.2K

$38.4K £28.1K

-4.83%

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

$31.5K €27.0K

$40.6K £29.8K

-22.37%

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

$183 €156

$298 £218

-38.64%

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

$15.70 €13.43

$22.78 £16.69

-31.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 €31.42

$42.89 £31.44

-14.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 €45.76

$33.33 £24.43

60.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.13 €14.65

$17.31 £12.69

-1.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.51 €9.85

$19.27 £14.12

-40.27%

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

$952 €815

$1,795 £1,316

-46.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K €13.8K

$16.4K £12.0K

-1.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 €70.5

$93.8 £68.8

-12.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.47 €34.62

$43.92 £32.19

-7.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €92.2

$104 £76.0

3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €107

$104 £76.1

20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,668 €1,426

$1,177 £863

41.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 €1,101

$830 £608

55.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,663 €2,278

$2,170 £1,591

22.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 €1,628

$1,307 £958

45.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,513 €6,427

$3,887 £2,849

93.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,178 €4,429

$2,636 £1,932

96.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,451 €2,096

$3,352 £2,457

-26.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

5.15

-39.42%

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

Last update for Barcelona: August 17, 2026

Last update for Liverpool: August 16, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,668 in Barcelona and $1,177 in Liverpool. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Liverpool pays 37% 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 $109 in Liverpool. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $293, 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 10% in total monthly costs ($2,434 vs $2,215 including rent). Liverpool is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Liverpool. 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: $1,668 in Barcelona versus $1,177 in Liverpool. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $952 in Barcelona versus $1,795 in Liverpool. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,215 in Liverpool versus $2,434 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 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.