Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Medicine Hat

For one person, living is cheaper in Medicine Hat: $1,814 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Medicine Hat
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Medicine Hat Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Medicine Hat

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Medicine Hat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,814 in Medicine Hat.

Barcelona $2,453
Medicine Hat $1,814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,712 in Medicine Hat.

Barcelona $3,509
Medicine Hat $2,712

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,611 in Medicine Hat.

Barcelona $4,564
Medicine Hat $3,611

Living in Barcelona is roughly 35% more expensive than in Medicine Hat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Medicine Hat 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$15.23 CA$21.28

15.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$69.9 CA$97.7

-3.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.82 CA$13.72

37.78%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.76 CA$5.26

-15.16%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.04 CA$2.85

42.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.72 CA$2.40

9.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.09 CA$7.11

-21.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.95 CA$5.52

14.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.55 CA$2.16

-15.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.77 CA$2.47

14.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.46 CA$4.84

-46.53%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.98 CA$4.16

62.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$9.44 CA$13.19

77.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.03 CA$15.41

-17.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$12.82 CA$17.91

53.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.17 CA$4.43

-5.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.46 CA$2.04

38.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.86 CA$3.99

-5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.72 CA$5.20

-24.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.71 CA$3.79

-22.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.48 CA$2.07

39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.61 CA$3.65

-44.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.57 CA$2.20

-40.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$11.51 CA$16.08

-40.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$12.61 CA$17.61

-37.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.38 CA$3.33

-40.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.19 CA$4.45

-20.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.26 CA$3.15

38.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$50.9 CA$71.2

-50.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.19 CA$4.46

-6.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.34 CA$1.87

11.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$27.41 CA$38.29

21.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.03 CA$1.44

74.76%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$24.3K CA$34.0K

36.32%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$20.0K CA$28.0K

58.22%

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

$180 €162

$165 CA$231

9.29%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$38.32 CA$53.5

-63.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$50.6 CA$70.7

-33.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$53.8 CA$75.1

-4.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$35.27 CA$49.27

-54.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$14.39 CA$20.10

-23.63%

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

$917 €821

$541 CA$756

69.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.1K CA$22.5K

2.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$50.5 CA$70.5

72.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$26.44 CA$36.94

45.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$66.2 CA$92.4

59.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$67.6 CA$94.5

76.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$901 CA$1,258

88.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$749 CA$1,046

81.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,483 CA$2,071

75.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,198 CA$1,673

72.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,369 CA$1,912

405.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,930 CA$2,696

165.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,973 CA$4,154

-25.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.51

-27.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medicine Hat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Medicine Hat

$749 41.3% 44.8% $607

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Medicine Hat

$319 17.6% 0.7% $2.4

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Medicine Hat

$245 13.5% 8.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Medicine Hat

$254 14% 11.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Medicine Hat

$95 5.2% 40% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Medicine Hat

$83 4.6% 12.3% $9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Medicine Hat

$70 3.9% 44.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $901 in Medicine Hat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medicine Hat pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $70 in Medicine Hat. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $319, with Medicine Hat cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Medicine Hat

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

56,997

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Medicine Hat 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Medicine Hat

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 Medicine Hat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,814 in Medicine Hat, so Medicine Hat is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $901 in Medicine Hat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $541 in Medicine Hat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $70 in Medicine Hat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,814 in Medicine Hat versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Medicine Hat but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Medicine Hat 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.