Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Loughrea

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Loughrea: $2,399 and $2,512 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Loughrea
Learn more

Loughrea Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Loughrea

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,512

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Loughrea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,512 in Loughrea.

Barcelona $2,399
Loughrea $2,512

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,724 in Loughrea.

Barcelona $3,410
Loughrea $3,724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,936 in Loughrea.

Barcelona $4,421
Loughrea $4,936

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 4% less than in Loughrea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Loughrea 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.93

$23.22 €20.62

-22.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$102 €90.8

-33.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.79

$13.62 €12.10

-2.50%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.88

$3.38 €3.01

-3.85%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.17 €1.93

38.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.23 €1.98

-16.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.45 €4.84

-29.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.97

$4.39 €3.90

2.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.66 €1.48

-22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.26 €2.01

-9.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.52

$1.98 €1.76

-13.13%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.82 €4.28

-1.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.89

$3.45 €3.06

386.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.93

$6.65 €5.90

34.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.66

$11.08 €9.84

79.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.64

$2.70 €2.40

10.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.24 €1.99

-9.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.42

$2.72 €2.41

0.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.44 €3.95

-39.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.86 €1.65

12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.54 €1.37

35.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.76 €0.67

90.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$2.08 €1.84

-57.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.16

$21.25 €18.87

-67.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.91

$13.16 €11.69

-40.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.44 €3.05

-57.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.43 €3.04

-25.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.66 €2.36

12.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.38

$55.0 €48.84

-54.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$5.23 €4.64

-40.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.27

$1.52 €1.35

-5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.75

$37.00 €32.86

-9.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.78 €1.58

0.56%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$38.6K €34.3K

-10.33%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$39.4K €35.0K

-23.66%

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

$178 €158

$164 €146

8.17%

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

$13.32 €11.83

$18.15 €16.12

-26.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €30.98

$52.0 €46.15

-32.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.29

$59.6 €52.9

-10.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.21

$49.26 €43.75

-67.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.82

$15.35 €13.63

-27.95%

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

$957 €850

$1,255 €1,115

-23.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$5,363 €4,763

208.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.3

$89.5 €79.5

-1.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.07

$49.98 €44.38

-20.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.3

$113 €101

-9.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$128 €114

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,468

$1,598 €1,419

3.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,156

$1,326 €1,178

-1.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,271

$2,530 €2,247

1.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,700

$2,089 €1,856

-8.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,471

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,512

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,025

$2,538 €2,254

-10.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.82

-14.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Loughrea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Loughrea

$1.3K 52.8% 1.9% $24

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Loughrea

$290 11.6% 9.3% $30

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Loughrea

$321 12.8% 18.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Loughrea

$235 9.3% 3.7% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Loughrea

$171 6.8% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Loughrea

$90 3.6% 19.8% $15

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Loughrea

$78 3.1% 65.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,598 in Loughrea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Loughrea pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $102 in Loughrea. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $290, with Loughrea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇪 Loughrea

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Loughrea 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Loughrea

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 Loughrea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Loughrea differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,512 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Loughrea. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,598 in Loughrea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,255 in Loughrea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Loughrea pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Loughrea 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Loughrea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.