Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Oswestry

For one person, living is cheaper in Oswestry: $2,133 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Oswestry
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Oswestry Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Oswestry

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Oswestry

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,133 in Oswestry.

Barcelona $2,381
Oswestry $2,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,753 in Oswestry.

Barcelona $3,406
Oswestry $2,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,373 in Oswestry.

Barcelona $4,431
Oswestry $3,373

Living in Barcelona is roughly 12% more expensive than in Oswestry, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Oswestry 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.62 £10.97

22.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$66.6 £49.97

-0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$8.77 £6.58

56.10%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.32 £2.49

-7.83%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.52 £1.89

21.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.60 £1.20

21.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.93 £2.95

-1.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.45 £3.34

3.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.44 £1.08

-9.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.59 £1.19

32.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.85 £1.39

-1.08%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.01 £3.01

15.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$9.49 £7.12

82.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.56 £6.42

8.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$15.28 £11.46

29.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.11 £1.58

42.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.51 £1.13

34.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.95 £2.21

-10.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.49 £2.62

-17.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.55 £1.16

39.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.37 £1.03

56.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.97 £0.73

51.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.18 £0.88

-25.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$20.67 £15.51

-66.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$9.77 £7.33

-19.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.43 £1.82

-42.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.13 £2.35

-15.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.07 £2.30

-5.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$98.0 £73.6

-74.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.45 £3.34

-32.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.46 £1.10

-1.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$23.49 £17.63

41.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.02 £1.51

-7.92%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$33.4K £25.0K

-3.08%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$41.0K £30.7K

-22.63%

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

$183 €163

$247 £186

-26.09%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$16.46 £12.35

-17.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$39.96 £29.98

-17.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$46.01 £34.52

18.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$11.21 £8.41

0.18%

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

$954 €849

$1,261 £946

-24.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$20.4K £15.3K

-18.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$60.5 £45.40

42.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$39.75 £29.82

-1.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$57.4 £43.05

80.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$81.1 £60.8

46.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,218 £914

39.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,020 £765

25.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,014 £761

154.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$978 £733

96.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,149 £3,863

41.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,799 £2,850

31.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,154 £1,616

3.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.82

-31.95%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Oswestry: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Oswestry

$1K 47.8% 20.1% $256

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Oswestry

$283 13.3% 12.9% $42

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Oswestry

$228 10.7% 15.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Oswestry

$304 14.2% 32.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Oswestry

$107 5% 31.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Oswestry

$68 3.2% 11.3% $8.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Oswestry

$122 5.7% 158% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,218 in Oswestry. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 3% 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 $67.0 in Oswestry. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $283, with Oswestry cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Oswestry

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

22:54 10:54 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

18,743

💱 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 Oswestry 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Oswestry

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 Oswestry: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Oswestry differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,133 including rent). Oswestry is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,218 in Oswestry. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,261 in Oswestry. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,133 in Oswestry versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Oswestry but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Oswestry 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 Oswestry 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 Oswestry gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.