Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Oban Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Oban

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,495 in Barcelona versus $2,127 in Oban.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,550 in Barcelona versus $3,158 in Oban.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,605 in Barcelona versus $4,188 in Oban.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 17% more expensive than in Oban, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 82% above, Oban 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.39 €15.83

$16.37 £12.11

12.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 €59.6

$86.9 £64.3

-20.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.13 €12.16

$9.58 £7.09

47.49%

Cappuccino

$3.13 €2.70

$4.79 £3.54

-34.66%

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

$3.02 €2.60

$2.30 £1.70

31.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.69

$1.99 £1.47

-1.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.00 €3.44

$6.04 £4.46

-33.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 €4.10

$5.00 £3.70

-4.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.07

$1.61 £1.19

-22.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.86

$1.82 £1.35

18.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.45

$1.90 £1.41

-11.05%

Eggs

$4.93 €4.25

$4.45 £3.29

10.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.88 €15.39

$8.92 £6.60

100.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.27

$12.48 £9.24

-23.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 €16.65

$16.67 £12.33

16.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.79

$2.92 £2.16

10.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.87

$1.41 £1.04

54.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 €2.30

$2.87 £2.12

-6.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.39

$3.94 £2.91

-29.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.91

$1.84 £1.36

20.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.88

$1.53 £1.13

43.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.31

$1.30 £0.96

16.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.79

$1.72 £1.27

-46.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.12 €6.13

$21.46 £15.88

-66.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 €7.00

$11.38 £8.42

-28.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.29

$2.71 £2.00

-44.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 €2.39

$3.09 £2.29

-10.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 €2.71

$3.56 £2.63

-11.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.99 €23.24

$82.8 £61.2

-67.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 €2.80

$3.95 £2.92

-17.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.29

$2.45 £1.82

-38.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.89 €30.04

$24.58 £18.18

41.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.50

$2.07 £1.53

-15.46%

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

$36.7K €31.6K

$39.6K £29.3K

-7.45%

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

$30.9K €26.6K

$42.0K £31.0K

-26.26%

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

$188 €162

$344 £255

-45.50%

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

$15.44 €13.29

$29.13 £21.55

-47.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.80 €32.54

$43.95 £32.51

-13.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €49.22

$46.93 £34.72

21.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 €14.46

$6.94 £5.14

142.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.58 €9.97

$11.72 £8.67

-1.19%

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

$1,003 €863

$1,840 £1,361

-45.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €14.6K

$23.7K £17.5K

-28.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 €76.8

$97.2 £71.9

-8.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.87 €35.18

$50.3 £37.23

-18.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €94.7

$107 £79.5

2.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €106

$117 £86.3

5.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 €1,440

$1,252 £926

33.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,146

$793 £586

67.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,596 €2,234

$2,087 £1,544

24.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 €1,679

$1,244 £920

56.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,573 €6,519

$5,217 £3,860

45.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,370 €4,623

$3,972 £2,938

35.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,402 €2,068

$3,179 £2,352

-24.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

5.11

-38.16%

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

Last update for Barcelona: August 30, 2026

Last update for Oban: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in Barcelona and $1,252 in Oban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oban pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Barcelona vs $87.0 in Oban. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $330, with Oban 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 Oban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Oban differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,495 vs $2,127 including rent). Oban is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Oban. 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: $1,673 in Barcelona versus $1,252 in Oban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,003 in Barcelona versus $1,840 in Oban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,127 in Oban versus $2,495 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Oban but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Oban 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 Oban 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 Oban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.