Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Middlesbrough Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Middlesbrough

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,356 in Barcelona versus $1,988 in Middlesbrough.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,455 in Barcelona versus $2,839 in Middlesbrough.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,553 in Barcelona versus $3,689 in Middlesbrough.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 19% more expensive than Middlesbrough, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 75% above, Middlesbrough 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.01

$20.34 £15.07

-13.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €58.0

$73.6 £54.5

-7.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.96 €11.88

$10.17 £7.53

37.27%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.35

$4.26 £3.16

-35.21%

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

$2.76 €2.35

$1.93 £1.43

43.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.67

$1.43 £1.06

37.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 €3.85

$5.54 £4.10

-18.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.85

$5.35 £3.96

-15.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.05

$1.61 £1.19

-22.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.73

$1.64 £1.21

24.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.63

$2.63 £1.95

-27.38%

Eggs

$3.39 €2.89

$4.11 £3.04

-17.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.34 €15.60

$6.82 £5.05

168.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 €7.99

$7.64 £5.66

22.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 €16.08

$9.46 £7.01

99.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.23

$2.56 £1.90

2.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.04

$2.25 £1.67

6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.80

$2.23 £1.65

-4.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.30

$2.78 £2.06

-2.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.75

$1.75 £1.30

17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 €1.52

$1.37 £1.01

29.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.25

$1.44 £1.07

2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.77

$1.87 £1.38

-51.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.01 €5.97

$18.25 £13.52

-61.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.46

$13.07 £9.69

-41.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.22

$3.78 £2.80

-61.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €1.97

$5.37 £3.98

-56.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 €2.50

$4.14 £3.06

-28.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 €25.00

$96.5 £71.5

-69.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €3.85

$6.17 £4.57

-26.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.82

$1.19 £0.88

79.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.97 €24.65

$16.42 £12.17

76.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.61

$1.87 £1.39

1.07%

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

$39.0K €33.2K

$30.7K £22.8K

27.11%

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

$32.4K €27.6K

$39.1K £29.0K

-17.14%

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

$189 €161

$286 £212

-34.03%

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

$22.24 €18.92

$16.87 £12.50

31.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.57 €31.12

$42.36 £31.39

-13.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.38

$53.6 £39.74

8.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.30 €18.13

$20.90 £15.48

1.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.37

$12.82 £9.50

-14.12%

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

$731 €622

$932 £691

-21.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K €12.6K

$20.5K £15.2K

-27.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €76.0

$81.4 £60.4

9.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.38 €31.81

$42.84 £31.75

-12.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €89.0

$86.9 £64.4

20.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.0

$73.0 £54.1

59.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,320

$911 £675

70.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 €1,035

$715 £530

70.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,382

$1,036 £767

170.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,709

$968 £717

107.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,161 €6,094

$2,621 £1,942

173.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,021 €4,273

$2,236 £1,657

124.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,462 €2,095

$2,655 £1,967

-7.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.6

-39.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: April 13, 2026

Last update for Middlesbrough: April 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,551 in Barcelona and $911 in Middlesbrough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middlesbrough pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Barcelona vs $74 in Middlesbrough. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $287, with Middlesbrough 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 Middlesbrough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Middlesbrough differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($2,356 vs $1,988 including rent). Middlesbrough is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Middlesbrough earns 8% less. 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: $1,551 in Barcelona versus $911 in Middlesbrough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $731 in Barcelona versus $932 in Middlesbrough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,988 in Middlesbrough versus $2,356 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Middlesbrough but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Middlesbrough 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 Middlesbrough 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 Middlesbrough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.