Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Milton Keynes

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,511 in Milton Keynes, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Milton Keynes despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Milton Keynes
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Milton Keynes Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Milton Keynes

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Milton Keynes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,511 in Milton Keynes.

Barcelona $2,443
Milton Keynes $2,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,563 in Milton Keynes.

Barcelona $3,519
Milton Keynes $3,563

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,614 in Milton Keynes.

Barcelona $4,595
Milton Keynes $4,614

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 3% less than in Milton Keynes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Milton Keynes 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$19.77 £14.72

-10.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$86.1 £64.1

-21.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$11.59 £8.63

17.43%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$4.64 £3.46

-33.19%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$1.89 £1.41

58.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.12 £0.84

72.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$6.59 £4.91

-41.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$6.06 £4.51

-28.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.71 £1.27

-26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.48 £1.10

43.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.87 £2.14

-31.36%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$3.97 £2.95

19.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$8.52 £6.34

100.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$9.00 £6.70

-0.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$13.12 £9.77

57.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$3.38 £2.52

-6.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.46 £1.09

34.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.60 £1.94

1.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.79 £2.08

3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.97 £1.47

4.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.64 £1.22

32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.27 £0.95

20.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.38 £1.03

-29.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$23.90 £17.79

-70.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$9.29 £6.91

-15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.69 £2.00

-47.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.39 £1.78

12.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$4.13 £3.08

-19.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$84.5 £62.9

-69.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$4.95 £3.68

-37.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.63 £1.21

-9.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$30.61 £22.78

7.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.12 £1.58

-11.79%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$38.3K £28.5K

-13.91%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$40.5K £30.1K

-21.03%

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

$183 €163

$309 £230

-40.84%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$14.49 £10.79

-1.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$41.15 £30.63

-16.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$34.73 £25.85

48.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

$20.40 £15.19

-19.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$23.63 £17.59

-53.20%

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

$944 €842

$2,387 £1,777

-60.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$24.4K £18.2K

-8.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$114 £84.7

-22.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$40.26 £29.97

-3.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$80.5 £59.9

29.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$97.6 £72.6

20.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$1,565 £1,165

8.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$1,208 £900

10.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$2,397 £1,785

12.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$1,770 £1,318

17.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$7,283 £5,421

-1.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$5,679 £4,227

-10.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

$3,939 £2,932

-43.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.67

-31.69%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Milton Keynes: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Milton Keynes

$1.2K 48.1% 9.6% $128

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Milton Keynes

$287 11.4% 12.5% $41

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Milton Keynes

$306 12.2% 14.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Milton Keynes

$365 14.5% 57.4% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Milton Keynes

$149 6% 4.8% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Milton Keynes

$82 3.3% 11.5% $8.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Milton Keynes

$114 4.6% 131% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,565 in Milton Keynes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milton Keynes pays 76% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $86 in Milton Keynes. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $287, with Milton Keynes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Milton Keynes

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

229,941

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Milton Keynes 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Milton Keynes

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 Milton Keynes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,511 in Milton Keynes, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,565 in Milton Keynes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $2,387 in Milton Keynes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Milton Keynes pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Milton Keynes are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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