Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Scarborough, Canada

Name: Scarborough
Address: Scarborough, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,561 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Scarborough

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,561 in Scarborough.

Barcelona $2,453
Scarborough $2,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,474 in Scarborough.

Barcelona $3,509
Scarborough $3,474

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,388 in Scarborough.

Barcelona $4,564
Scarborough $4,388

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 4% less than in Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Scarborough 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$17.32 CA$24.22

1.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$70.3 CA$98.4

-4.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.89 CA$15.23

24.24%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.99 CA$5.58

-20.05%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.03 CA$2.85

43.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.47 CA$2.05

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.55 CA$9.16

-38.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.29 CA$10.19

-37.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.51 CA$3.51

-47.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.63 CA$3.68

-23.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.28 CA$3.19

-18.86%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.64 CA$5.09

32.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$9.14 CA$12.79

83.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.44 CA$16.00

-20.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$12.96 CA$18.13

51.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.43 CA$4.79

-13.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.21 CA$1.69

66.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.34 CA$4.67

-19.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.17 CA$5.83

-32.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.69 CA$2.37

23.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.68 CA$2.35

23.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.20 CA$3.08

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.26 CA$1.76

-25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$14.00 CA$19.58

-50.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$12.58 CA$17.60

-37.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.19 CA$3.06

-35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.55 CA$3.57

-0.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.40 CA$3.35

30.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$105 CA$147

-75.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.06 CA$4.28

-2.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.28 CA$1.79

16.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$22.52 CA$31.49

48.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.25 CA$1.75

44.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$26.1K CA$36.6K

26.96%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$21.7K CA$30.4K

45.92%

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

$180 €162

$137 CA$192

31.35%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$35.21 CA$49.25

-60.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$48.56 CA$67.9

-30.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$35.87 CA$50.2

43.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$35.96 CA$50.3

-55.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$12.95 CA$18.12

-15.14%

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

$917 €821

$749 CA$1,048

22.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.8K CA$15.1K

52.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$53.4 CA$74.7

62.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$40.94 CA$57.3

-5.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$85.1 CA$119

24.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$105 CA$147

14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,744 CA$2,440

-2.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,415 CA$1,979

-4.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,122 CA$2,969

22.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,758 CA$2,459

17.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$7,770 CA$10.9K

-11.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$6,085 CA$8,510

-15.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,980 CA$4,168

-25.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.55

-27.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.3% 4.4% $60

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Scarborough

$331 12.9% 2.8% $9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Scarborough

$280 11% 4.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Scarborough

$221 8.6% 3% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Scarborough

$128 5% 19% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Scarborough

$62 2.4% 15.9% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Scarborough

$124 4.8% 156% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,744 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $70 in Scarborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $331 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

21:23 9:23 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

29,960

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Scarborough 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,561 in Scarborough, so Barcelona is about 4% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,744 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $749 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Scarborough. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.