Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Markham

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Markham: $2,399 and $2,416 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Markham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,416 in Markham.

Barcelona $2,399
Markham $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,465 in Markham.

Barcelona $3,410
Markham $3,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,514 in Markham.

Barcelona $4,421
Markham $4,514

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 1% less than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Markham 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €16.03

$17.37 CA$24.70

3.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.8

$53.4 CA$76.0

27.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.86

$10.47 CA$14.89

26.84%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.90

$3.81 CA$5.42

-14.70%

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

$3.01 €2.68

$1.70 CA$2.42

77.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.17 CA$1.67

59.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.44

$3.59 CA$5.10

7.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €4.00

$5.62 CA$7.99

-20.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.94 CA$2.76

-33.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.22 CA$3.16

-8.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.90 CA$2.70

-9.47%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.26

$2.99 CA$4.25

59.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.98

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.98

$11.70 CA$16.64

-23.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.76

$6.81 CA$9.68

191.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.69 CA$5.25

-19.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.26 CA$1.80

61.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.44

$2.33 CA$3.31

17.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$3.26 CA$4.63

-17.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$2.05 CA$2.92

2.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.96 CA$2.79

6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.87 CA$4.08

-49.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.48 CA$2.11

-39.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.20

$13.44 CA$19.11

-48.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.95

$14.53 CA$20.66

-46.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$2.40 CA$3.41

-39.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.30

$3.19 CA$4.54

-19.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.04 CA$4.32

-1.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.51

$89.3 CA$127

-71.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.79

$3.31 CA$4.71

-5.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.92

$18.60 CA$26.44

80.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.13 CA$1.61

58.41%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

23.18%

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

$30.1K €26.9K

$18.1K CA$25.8K

65.89%

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

$178 €159

$125 CA$178

41.83%

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

$13.32 €11.90

$26.20 CA$37.26

-49.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.16

$45.69 CA$65.0

-23.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.57

$42.62 CA$60.6

24.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.30

$21.28 CA$30.26

-24.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.88

$10.19 CA$14.49

8.54%

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

$957 €855

$870 CA$1,237

9.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$27.5K CA$39.0K

-39.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.8

$43.21 CA$61.4

104.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.27

$37.22 CA$52.9

6.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$91.1 CA$130

12.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €109

$105 CA$149

15.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,476

$1,554 CA$2,210

6.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,163

$1,391 CA$1,978

-6.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,284

$2,699 CA$3,838

-5.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,710

$2,236 CA$3,179

-14.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,508

$5,896 CA$8,382

23.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,537

$5,309 CA$7,549

-4.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,037

$3,132 CA$4,453

-27.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.56

-28.07%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Markham

$1.4K 57.6% 6.9% $89

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Markham

$279 * 11.5% 13% $42

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Markham

$257 10.6% 4.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Markham

$197 8.2% 12.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Markham

$124 5.2% 21.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Markham

$63 2.6% 16.4% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Markham

$105 * 4.3% 121% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,554 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 37% 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 $53.0 in Markham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $279 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

19:28 7:28 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

338,503

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Markham 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Markham differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,416 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Markham. 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 $1,554 in Markham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $870 in Markham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Markham pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,416 in Markham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Markham. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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 Markham 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 1% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.