Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Peterborough Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Peterborough

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,320 in Barcelona versus $2,025 in Peterborough.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,426 in Barcelona versus $2,907 in Peterborough.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,532 in Barcelona versus $3,789 in Peterborough.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 15% more expensive than in Peterborough, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 74% above, Peterborough 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.46

$20.56 £15.31

-14.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 €61.0

$81.0 £60.3

-13.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.16 €12.40

$10.77 £8.02

31.48%

Cappuccino

$2.80 €2.45

$4.55 £3.39

-38.46%

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

$2.81 €2.46

$1.57 £1.17

78.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.81

$1.06 £0.79

94.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.03

$6.96 £5.18

-33.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 €4.11

$6.12 £4.56

-23.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.08

$1.40 £1.04

-12.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.78

$1.50 £1.11

35.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.73

$1.58 £1.18

25.32%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.05

$3.45 £2.57

1.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 €16.05

$8.16 £6.08

124.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 €8.61

$8.82 £6.57

11.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 €16.75

$10.73 £7.99

78.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.39

$3.17 £2.36

-13.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.09

$1.20 £0.90

98.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.82

$1.70 £1.26

22.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.41

$2.93 £2.18

-6.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.72

$1.28 £0.96

53.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.57

$1.23 £0.92

45.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.29

$0.91 £0.68

62.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.80

$1.36 £1.01

-33.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.25

$20.17 £15.02

-64.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.90

$10.85 £8.08

-27.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.21

$2.71 £2.02

-49.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.09

$2.40 £1.79

-0.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.01 €2.64

$2.67 £1.98

12.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.35 €25.71

$85.9 £64.0

-65.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.82

$6.27 £4.67

-30.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.32 £0.98

61.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.60 €25.93

$28.79 £21.44

2.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.60

$1.95 £1.45

-6.67%

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

$37.9K €33.2K

$26.8K £20.0K

41.31%

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

$32.4K €28.4K

$40.6K £30.2K

-20.28%

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

$189 €166

$207 £154

-8.51%

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

$22.29 €19.52

$14.37 £10.70

55.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 €32.55

$34.62 £25.78

7.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €50.8

$38.73 £28.84

49.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.66 €18.09

$24.39 £18.16

-15.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.87 €9.52

$16.15 £12.02

-32.69%

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

$706 €618

$942 £702

-25.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K €13.0K

$23.0K £17.1K

-35.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 €78.3

$56.3 £41.92

58.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.60 €32.06

$25.74 £19.16

42.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €91.1

$89.5 £66.7

16.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €105

$89.9 £66.9

32.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 €1,383

$1,091 £812

44.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 €1,084

$927 £690

33.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 €2,375

$1,727 £1,286

57.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 €1,786

$1,293 £962

57.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,527 €6,592

$3,964 £2,951

89.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,239 €4,588

$3,166 £2,357

65.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 €2,070

$2,774 £2,065

-14.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.45

-37.80%

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

Last update for Barcelona: July 13, 2026

Last update for Peterborough: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,579 in Barcelona and $1,091 in Peterborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Peterborough pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Barcelona vs $81.0 in Peterborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $261, with Peterborough 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 Peterborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Peterborough differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,320 vs $2,025 including rent). Peterborough is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Peterborough. 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: $1,579 in Barcelona versus $1,091 in Peterborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Barcelona versus $942 in Peterborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,025 in Peterborough versus $2,320 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Peterborough but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Peterborough 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 Peterborough 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 Peterborough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.