Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Margate

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Margate: $2,399 and $2,397 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Margate

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Margate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,397 in Margate.

Barcelona $2,399
Margate $2,397

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,447 in Margate.

Barcelona $3,410
Margate $3,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,498 in Margate.

Barcelona $4,421
Margate $4,498

Monthly costs are close between Barcelona and Margate; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$17.62 £13.22

1.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$59.2 £44.44

14.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$10.66 £8.00

24.58%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.58 £3.44

-29.04%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.93 £1.45

55.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.35 £1.02

38.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$7.96 £5.97

-51.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$6.78 £5.08

-33.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.58 £1.18

-18.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.79 £1.34

13.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.61 £1.96

-34.10%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.41 £3.31

8.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$9.78 £7.34

71.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$9.66 £7.25

-7.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$15.68 £11.77

26.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.99 £2.24

-0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.69 £1.27

20.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.56 £2.67

-23.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.52 £2.64

-23.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.77 £1.33

18.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.80 £1.35

15.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.23 £0.92

17.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.95 £1.47

-54.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$22.12 £16.59

-68.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$11.19 £8.39

-30.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.60 £1.95

-44.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.86 £2.89

-33.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.30 £2.47

-9.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$95.6 £71.7

-73.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$7.95 £5.96

-60.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.58 £1.94

-44.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$51.2 £38.43

-34.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.07 £1.55

-13.53%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$37.6K £28.2K

-7.88%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$41.0K £30.8K

-26.75%

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

$178 €158

$342 £256

-47.96%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$18.66 £14.00

-28.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$42.12 £31.60

-17.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$45.65 £34.25

16.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$17.01 £12.76

-34.98%

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

$957 €851

$2,568 £1,926

-62.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$35.7K £26.8K

-53.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$90.6 £68.0

-2.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$47.65 £35.75

-17.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$93.3 £70.0

10.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$127 £95.2

-4.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,200 £900

37.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,005 £754

29.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,134 £1,601

19.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,662 £1,247

15.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$5,111 £3,834

42.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,937 £2,954

29.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,652 £1,990

-14.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.04

-34.92%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Margate: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Margate

$1K 42% 22.8% $296

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Margate

$324 13.5% 1.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Margate

$294 12.3% 9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Margate

$403 16.8% 78.1% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Margate

$161 6.7% 1.8% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Margate

$80 3.3% 5.7% $4.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Margate

$130 5.4% 173% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,200 in Margate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $59.0 in Margate. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $324, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Margate

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

58,465

💱 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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Between locations

Barcelona Margate 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Margate

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 Margate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Margate. 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 $1,200 in Margate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $2,568 in Margate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Margate – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,397 in Margate versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Margate but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Margate 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 Margate are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Margate wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.