Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Northampton

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Northampton: $2,381 and $2,442 a month, rent and utilities included.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Northampton
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Northampton Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Northampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,442

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Northampton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,442 in Northampton.

Barcelona $2,381
Northampton $2,442

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,518 in Northampton.

Barcelona $3,406
Northampton $3,518

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,593 in Northampton.

Barcelona $4,431
Northampton $4,593

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 2% less than in Northampton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Northampton 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$26.21 £19.66

-31.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$79.8 £59.9

-17.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.68 £8.01

28.18%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.90 £3.67

-37.55%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.48 £1.86

23.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.03 £1.52

-4.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.50 £4.13

-29.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.52 £4.14

-16.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.47 £1.10

-11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.84 £1.38

14.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.71 £2.03

-32.47%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.22 £3.16

9.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$9.09 £6.82

90.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.10 £6.08

14.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$16.44 £12.33

20.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.41 £2.56

-11.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.62 £1.22

25.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.18 £2.39

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.40 £2.55

-15.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.21 £0.90

78.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.83 £1.37

17.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.31 £0.98

12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.30 £0.98

-32.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$23.40 £17.56

-70.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$9.77 £7.33

-19.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.32 £2.49

-58.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.06 £2.29

-14.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.35 £2.51

-13.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$121 £91.1

-79.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.08 £3.06

-26.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$4.02 £3.02

-64.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$31.30 £23.48

6.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.07 £1.55

-10.14%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$37.8K £28.4K

-14.50%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$40.5K £30.3K

-21.62%

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

$183 €163

$366 £274

-50.03%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$17.52 £13.14

-22.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$44.18 £33.14

-25.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$31.81 £23.86

71.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$20.70 £15.53

-20.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$13.39 £10.05

-16.13%

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

$954 €849

$1,601 £1,201

-40.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$84.6 £63.4

1.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$40.26 £30.20

-2.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$72.9 £54.7

42.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$110 £82.7

7.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,099 £824

54.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$996 £748

28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,661 £1,246

55.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,540 £1,156

24.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,631 £2,724

100.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,526 £2,645

42.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,640 £2,731

-38.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.21

-37.04%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Northampton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Northampton

$996 40.8% 21.9% $280

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Northampton

$305 12.5% 6.2% $20

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Northampton

$357 14.6% 32.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Northampton

$427 17.5% 86.4% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Northampton

$139 5.7% 11.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Northampton

$59 2.4% 24.1% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Northampton

$159 6.5% 236% $112

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,099 in Northampton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Northampton pays 63% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $80.0 in Northampton. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $305, with Northampton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Northampton

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

245,899

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Northampton 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Northampton

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 Northampton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Northampton differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,442 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Northampton. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,099 in Northampton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,601 in Northampton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Northampton pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,442 in Northampton, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Northampton. 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 Northampton 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 3% less than in Northampton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.