Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Oshawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Oshawa: $2,370 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Oshawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,370 in Oshawa.

Barcelona $2,443
Oshawa $2,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,414 in Oshawa.

Barcelona $3,519
Oshawa $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,457 in Oshawa.

Barcelona $4,595
Oshawa $4,457

Living in Barcelona is roughly 3% more expensive than in Oshawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Oshawa 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$14.25 CA$19.90

23.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$63.6 CA$88.7

6.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$8.33 CA$11.63

63.39%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.54 CA$4.95

-12.43%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$1.77 CA$2.47

69.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.36 CA$1.90

41.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$4.86 CA$6.79

-20.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$6.04 CA$8.43

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.91 CA$4.06

-57.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.91 CA$4.06

-27.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$4.12 CA$5.75

-52.18%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.97 CA$4.14

60.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$10.14 CA$14.15

68.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$13.74 CA$19.19

-34.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$16.60 CA$23.17

24.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$4.20 CA$5.87

-24.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.22 CA$1.70

61.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.94 CA$4.10

-9.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$3.84 CA$5.36

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.36 CA$4.69

-38.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.57 CA$3.59

-15.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.35 CA$3.28

-34.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.73 CA$2.41

-43.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$14.29 CA$19.95

-51.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

$12.63 CA$17.63

-37.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$3.53 CA$4.92

-59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.49 CA$4.87

-22.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.82 CA$3.94

17.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$87.1 CA$122

-70.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.74 CA$3.82

12.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.44 CA$2.00

2.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$19.58 CA$27.33

67.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.24 CA$1.74

50.81%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$28.8K CA$40.2K

14.54%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$22.9K CA$32.0K

39.40%

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

$183 €163

$139 CA$194

31.60%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$37.94 CA$53.0

-62.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$54.3 CA$75.9

-36.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$22.91 CA$31.98

124.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$29.28 CA$40.87

-44.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$10.86 CA$15.17

1.84%

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

$944 €841

$922 CA$1,287

2.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$8,083 CA$11.3K

175.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$58.3 CA$81.4

50.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$57.7 CA$80.5

-32.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$107 CA$150

-2.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$129 CA$180

-8.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$1,400 CA$1,954

21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$1,207 CA$1,685

10.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$2,003 CA$2,795

34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$1,824 CA$2,546

13.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$5,158 CA$7,200

38.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$10.3K CA$14.4K

-50.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

$3,049 CA$4,256

-26.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.53

-29.58%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9% 9.7% $130

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Oshawa

$390 16.5% 19% $62

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Oshawa

$230 9.7% 13.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Oshawa

$231 9.8% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Oshawa

$158 6.7% 0.9% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Oshawa

$45 1.9% 39.3% $29

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Oshawa

$108 4.6% 120% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oshawa pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $64 in Oshawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $390, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

21:54 9:54 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

159,458

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Oshawa 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Oshawa

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 Oshawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,370 in Oshawa, so Oshawa is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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 $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $922 in Oshawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Oshawa is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.