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: $2,356 in Barcelona versus $2,237 in Oban.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,455 in Barcelona versus $3,338 in Oban.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,553 in Barcelona versus $4,439 in Oban.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 5% more expensive than Oban, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 75% above, Oban 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.01

$17.18 £12.73

2.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €58.0

$67.8 £50.2

0.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.96 €11.88

$6.96 £5.16

100.57%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.35

$3.31 £2.45

-16.62%

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

$2.76 €2.35

$2.09 £1.55

32.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.67

$1.58 £1.17

24.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 €3.85

$4.63 £3.43

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.85

$4.01 £2.97

12.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.05

$1.70 £1.26

-27.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.73

$1.60 £1.18

27.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.63

$1.80 £1.33

6.11%

Eggs

$3.39 €2.89

$4.06 £3.01

-16.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.34 €15.60

$8.95 £6.63

104.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 €7.99

$11.65 £8.63

-19.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 €16.08

$13.85 £10.26

36.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.23

$3.07 £2.27

-14.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.04

$1.64 £1.22

46.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.80

$2.88 £2.14

-26.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.30

$4.04 £2.99

-33.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.75

$1.15 £0.85

78.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 €1.52

$1.07 £0.79

66.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.25

$1.21 £0.89

21.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.77

$0.60 £0.44

51.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.01 €5.97

$16.65 £12.34

-57.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.46

$11.34 £8.40

-33.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.22

$2.24 £1.66

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €1.97

$2.30 £1.70

0.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 €2.50

$2.74 £2.03

7.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 €25.00

$90.4 £67.0

-67.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €3.85

$4.65 £3.44

-2.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.82

$1.76 £1.30

21.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.97 €24.65

$34.93 £25.88

-17.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.61

$1.88 £1.39

0.53%

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

$39.0K €33.2K

$39.2K £29.0K

-0.38%

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

$32.4K €27.6K

$41.6K £30.8K

-22.05%

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

$189 €161

$345 £255

-45.20%

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

$22.24 €18.92

$23.90 £17.71

-6.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.57 €31.12

$45.73 £33.88

-20.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.38

$46.61 £34.54

24.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.30 €18.13

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.37

$8.71 £6.45

26.41%

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

$731 €622

$1,900 £1,408

-61.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K €12.6K

$15.5K £11.5K

-4.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €76.0

$84.2 £62.4

6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.38 €31.81

$41.65 £30.87

-10.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €89.0

$94.1 £69.7

11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.0

$121 £89.4

-3.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,320

$1,225 £908

26.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 €1,035

$1,007 £746

20.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,382

$2,022 £1,498

38.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,709

$1,721 £1,276

16.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,161 €6,094

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,021 €4,273

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,462 €2,095

$2,749 £2,037

-10.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

6.2

-45.32%

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

Last update for Barcelona: April 13, 2026

Last update for Oban: April 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,551 in Barcelona and $1,225 in Oban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oban pays 12% 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 $68 in Oban. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $296, 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 5% in total monthly costs ($2,356 vs $2,237 including rent). Oban is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Oban earns 12% 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 $1,225 in Oban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $731 in Barcelona versus $1,900 in Oban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,237 in Oban versus $2,356 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 5% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.