Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Middlesex

For one person, living is cheaper in Middlesex: $2,323 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Middlesex
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Middlesex Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Middlesex

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Middlesex

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,323 in Middlesex.

Barcelona $2,443
Middlesex $2,323

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,517 in Middlesex.

Barcelona $3,519
Middlesex $3,517

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,710 in Middlesex.

Barcelona $4,595
Middlesex $4,710

Living in Barcelona is roughly 5% more expensive than in Middlesex, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Middlesex 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$21.22 £15.80

-16.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$70.3 £52.3

-4.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$9.69 £7.21

40.45%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$4.07 £3.03

-23.83%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$3.12 £2.32

-3.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.99 £1.48

-3.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$4.90 £3.65

-21.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$4.20 £3.12

3.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.30 £0.97

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.42 £1.06

49.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.71 £2.76

-46.90%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$3.73 £2.77

27.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$7.58 £5.64

125.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$7.07 £5.26

26.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$14.09 £10.49

46.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$3.23 £2.40

-2.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.02 £0.76

93.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.02 £0.76

159.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$3.71 £2.76

-22.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.81 £1.35

13.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.77 £1.32

23.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.98 £0.73

56.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.93 £1.43

-49.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$22.91 £17.05

-69.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$9.56 £7.12

-17.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$4.84 £3.61

-70.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.61 £2.69

-25.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$3.72 £2.77

-11.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$106 £78.7

-75.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.27 £2.43

-5.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.57 £1.17

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$33.63 £25.03

-2.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.02 £1.51

-7.43%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$39.0K £29.0K

-15.41%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$40.9K £30.4K

-21.85%

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

$183 €163

$355 £264

-48.46%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$25.76 £19.17

-44.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$39.95 £29.74

-13.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$47.44 £35.32

8.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$17.54 £13.06

-36.94%

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

$944 €842

$1,632 £1,215

-42.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$19.0K £14.1K

17.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$110 £82.0

-20.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$56.1 £41.76

-30.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$114 £85.0

-8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$114 £84.5

3.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$1,273 £947

33.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$921 £686

45.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$1,860 £1,385

44.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$1,823 £1,357

13.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$5,152 £3,835

38.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$3,899 £2,902

30.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

5.53

-42.31%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Middlesex: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Middlesex

$921 39.7% 31.1% $416

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Middlesex

$289 12.4% 11.9% $39

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Middlesex

$301 13% 12.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Middlesex

$420 18.1% 81.5% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Middlesex

$177 7.6% 13% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Middlesex

$83 3.6% 12.2% $9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Middlesex

$132 5.7% 167% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,273 in Middlesex. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $70 in Middlesex. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $289, with Middlesex cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Middlesex

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

15:08 3:08 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

17,162

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Middlesex 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Middlesex

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 Middlesex: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,323 in Middlesex, so Middlesex is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $3,484 in Middlesex to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,273 in Middlesex. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,632 in Middlesex. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.