Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Oldham Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Oldham

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,495 in Barcelona versus $2,072 in Oldham.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,550 in Barcelona versus $3,051 in Oldham.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,605 in Barcelona versus $4,030 in Oldham.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 20% more expensive than in Oldham, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 82% above, Oldham 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.39 €15.83

$20.41 £15.10

-9.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 €59.5

$88.9 £65.8

-22.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.13 €12.16

$9.73 £7.20

45.22%

Cappuccino

$3.13 €2.70

$4.94 £3.66

-36.64%

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

$3.02 €2.59

$2.97 £2.19

1.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.69

$2.08 £1.54

-5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.00 €3.44

$7.67 £5.67

-47.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 €4.10

$6.89 £5.10

-30.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.07

$1.53 £1.13

-18.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.86

$1.73 £1.28

24.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.45

$2.91 £2.15

-41.92%

Eggs

$4.93 €4.24

$3.65 £2.70

35.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.88 €15.39

$9.80 £7.25

82.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.27

$9.15 £6.77

5.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 €16.64

$15.94 £11.79

21.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.78

$3.20 £2.37

1.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.87

$1.94 £1.44

12.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 €2.30

$2.93 £2.17

-8.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.39

$3.43 £2.54

-19.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.90

$1.68 £1.24

31.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.88

$1.70 £1.26

28.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.31

$1.26 £0.93

20.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.79

$1.42 £1.05

-35.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.12 €6.13

$24.42 £18.06

-70.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 €7.00

$10.29 £7.61

-20.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.29

$2.93 £2.17

-48.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 €2.39

$3.25 £2.40

-14.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 €2.71

$2.77 £2.05

13.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.99 €23.23

$94.8 £70.2

-71.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 €2.80

$3.29 £2.43

-1.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.29

$2.07 £1.53

-27.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.89 €30.03

$31.17 £23.06

11.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.50

$2.03 £1.50

-13.79%

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

$36.7K €31.5K

$39.5K £29.3K

-7.31%

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

$30.9K €26.6K

$42.5K £31.4K

-27.14%

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

$188 €161

$301 £223

-37.72%

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

$15.44 €13.29

$21.60 £15.98

-28.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.80 €32.52

$40.03 £29.61

-5.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €49.21

$43.84 £32.44

30.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 €14.45

Cinema Ticket

$11.58 €9.96

$13.69 £10.12

-15.41%

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

$1,003 €863

$1,315 £973

-23.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €14.6K

$20.5K £15.2K

-16.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 €76.8

$91.6 £67.7

-2.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.87 €35.17

$43.56 £32.23

-6.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €94.6

$99.8 £73.9

10.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €106

$91.1 £67.4

34.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 €1,440

$1,238 £916

35.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,146

$748 £554

77.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,596 €2,234

$1,443 £1,067

79.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 €1,678

$1,078 £797

80.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,573 €6,517

$5,372 £3,974

40.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,370 €4,621

$4,378 £3,239

22.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,402 €2,067

$2,504 £1,852

-4.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

4.99

-36.67%

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

Last update for Barcelona: August 30, 2026

Last update for Oldham: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in Barcelona and $1,238 in Oldham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oldham pays 4% 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 $89.0 in Oldham. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $311, with Oldham 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 Oldham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Oldham differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,495 vs $2,072 including rent). Oldham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Oldham. 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 $1,238 in Oldham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,003 in Barcelona versus $1,315 in Oldham. 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 $2,072 in Oldham versus $2,495 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Oldham but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Oldham 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 Oldham 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 Oldham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.