Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Poole

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,641 in Poole, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Poole
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Poole Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Poole

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Poole

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,641 in Poole.

Barcelona $2,453
Poole $2,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,917 in Poole.

Barcelona $3,509
Poole $3,917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,193 in Poole.

Barcelona $4,564
Poole $5,193

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 7% less than in Poole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Poole 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$23.28 £17.39

-24.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$102 £76.0

-33.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.75 £8.03

25.86%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.19 £3.88

-38.54%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.08 £2.30

-5.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.25 £1.68

-16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.86 £5.12

-41.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.08 £5.29

-36.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.70 £1.27

-22.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.56 £1.16

29.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.25 £1.68

-17.78%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.21 £3.14

14.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$6.50 £4.85

157.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.76 £8.04

-15.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$12.70 £9.49

54.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.26 £1.69

31.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.73 £1.29

16.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.95 £1.46

38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.16 £1.62

29.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.03 £1.51

2.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.50 £1.12

38.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.78 £1.33

-17.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.92 £1.43

-51.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$23.87 £17.83

-71.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$9.72 £7.26

-18.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.01 £2.25

-53.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.46 £1.84

3.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.89 £2.90

-19.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$76.0 £56.8

-66.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.28 £2.45

-8.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.45 £1.83

-39.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$21.62 £16.15

54.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.03 £1.52

-11.33%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$39.1K £29.2K

-15.01%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$40.5K £30.3K

-21.81%

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

$180 €162

$359 £268

-49.74%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$20.32 £15.18

-31.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$43.31 £32.35

-22.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$80.8 £60.4

-36.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$20.54 £15.35

-46.49%

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

$917 €821

$2,128 £1,590

-56.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$33.8K £25.2K

-51.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$87.6 £65.4

-0.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$39.27 £29.34

-1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$102 £76.0

4.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$83.8 £62.6

42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,176 £879

44.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,210 £904

12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,272 £1,698

14.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,093 £1,564

-1.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,119 £1,583

142.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,307 £2,470

-33.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.96

-33.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Poole: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Poole

$1.2K 45.8% 10.8% $146

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Poole

$289 10.9% 10.3% $33

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Poole

$351 13.3% 30.8% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Poole

$423 16% 85.4% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Poole

$141 5.3% 11% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Poole

$122 4.6% 65.9% $48

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Poole

$107 4.1% 121% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,176 in Poole. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Poole pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $102 in Poole. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $289, with Poole cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Poole

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

154,718

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Poole 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Poole

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 Poole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,641 in Poole, so Barcelona is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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 $1,176 in Poole. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,128 in Poole. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Poole pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Poole are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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