Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Oxford

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,210 in Oxford, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Oxford
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Oxford Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Oxford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Oxford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,210 in Oxford.

Barcelona $2,453
Oxford $3,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,477 in Oxford.

Barcelona $3,509
Oxford $4,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,743 in Oxford.

Barcelona $4,564
Oxford $5,743

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 24% less than in Oxford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Oxford 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$24.95 £18.64

-29.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$104 £77.7

-35.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.60 £7.92

27.64%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.94 £3.69

-35.43%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$4.46 £3.33

-34.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.19 £1.64

-13.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$9.04 £6.75

-55.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$8.55 £6.39

-47.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.69 £1.26

-22.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.70 £1.27

18.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.97 £1.47

-6.09%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.06 £3.04

18.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.74 £10.27

21.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.58 £6.41

6.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.83 £11.08

32.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.33 £2.49

-10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.70 £1.27

18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.01 £2.25

-10.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.73 £2.79

-24.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.73 £1.29

20.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.76 £1.31

17.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.21 £0.90

20.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.61 £1.20

-41.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$23.70 £17.70

-71.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$11.30 £8.45

-30.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.26 £2.44

-56.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.39 £2.53

-25.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.89 £2.91

-19.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$110 £82.0

-76.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.98 £3.72

-39.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.18 £2.37

-53.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$42.14 £31.48

-20.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.11 £1.58

-14.69%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$38.4K £28.7K

-13.65%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$41.1K £30.7K

-22.91%

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

$180 €162

$361 £270

-50.02%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$18.08 £13.51

-23.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$44.18 £33.00

-23.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$41.85 £31.26

23.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$11.49 £8.58

38.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$16.03 £11.98

-31.44%

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

$917 €821

$2,254 £1,684

-59.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$15.2K £11.4K

8.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$98.8 £73.8

-11.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$46.09 £34.43

-16.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$102 £76.4

3.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$104 £77.8

14.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$2,187 £1,634

-22.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,706 £1,275

-20.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$3,231 £2,414

-19.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,464 £1,841

-16.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$8,794 £6,570

-21.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$6,600 £4,931

-22.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,032 £3,012

-45.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.79

-31.52%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oxford: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Oxford

$1.7K 53.2% 25.9% $351

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Oxford

$323 10.1% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Oxford

$380 11.8% 41.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Oxford

$423 13.2% 85.7% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Oxford

$158 4.9% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Oxford

$74 2.3% 0.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Oxford

$146 4.6% 202% $98

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $2,187 in Oxford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oxford pays 82% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $104 in Oxford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $323 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Oxford

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

165,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Oxford 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Oxford

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 Oxford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,210 in Oxford, so Barcelona is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $2,187 in Oxford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,254 in Oxford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $104 in Oxford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,210 in Oxford, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Oxford. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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 Oxford are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Oxford on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.