Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Scarborough Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Scarborough

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,316 in Barcelona versus $1,988 in Scarborough.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,458 in Barcelona versus $2,869 in Scarborough.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,601 in Barcelona versus $3,749 in Scarborough.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 16% more expensive than in Scarborough, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 73% above, Scarborough 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 €15.07

$14.78 £11.05

16.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 €62.0

$69.5 £51.9

1.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.02 €12.30

$9.90 £7.40

41.62%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.44

$4.40 £3.29

-36.82%

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

$2.78 €2.44

$2.10 £1.57

32.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.79

$1.01 £0.75

102.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 €3.96

$5.89 £4.40

-23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.10

$4.61 £3.45

1.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.13

$1.51 £1.13

-14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 €1.87

$1.71 £1.28

25.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 €1.70

$2.55 £1.90

-24.31%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.06

$3.77 £2.82

-7.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.52 €16.24

$9.32 £6.97

98.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 €8.36

$8.27 £6.18

15.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 €16.57

$9.31 £6.96

103.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.30

$3.33 £2.49

-21.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 €2.05

$1.48 £1.11

58.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.82

$1.45 £1.08

43.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.50

$2.19 £1.64

30.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.72

$1.19 £0.89

64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.62

$1.50 £1.12

23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.34

$1.04 £0.77

47.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.79

$1.83 £1.37

-50.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 €5.94

$11.44 £8.55

-40.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 €6.83

$9.17 £6.85

-15.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.21

$2.68 £2.01

-48.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.04

$2.77 £2.07

-16.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.00 €2.63

$3.13 £2.34

-4.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.62 €25.10

$93.5 £69.9

-69.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.01

$4.29 £3.21

6.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.19 £0.89

78.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.55 €25.91

$16.12 £12.05

83.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.57

$1.89 £1.41

-4.76%

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

$38.5K €33.7K

$36.7K £27.4K

4.71%

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

$33.3K €29.2K

$39.0K £29.2K

-14.79%

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

$185 €162

$272 £203

-32.07%

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

$22.68 €19.89

$16.02 £11.97

41.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.78 €32.25

$33.53 £25.06

9.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 €50.7

$34.49 £25.78

67.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.19 €18.58

$13.08 £9.77

62.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.83 €9.49

$10.87 £8.12

-0.37%

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

$727 €637

$1,718 £1,284

-57.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K €12.9K

$18.6K £13.9K

-20.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.6 €76.8

$70.1 £52.4

24.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.37 €32.76

$37.38 £27.94

-0.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €90.5

$111 £82.7

-6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €104

$88.9 £66.5

33.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 €1,368

$875 £654

78.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 €1,071

$836 £624

46.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 €2,404

$1,562 £1,167

75.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,992 €1,746

$1,244 £930

60.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,489 €6,567

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,207 €4,566

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,355 €2,064

$2,056 £1,537

14.51%

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 21, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,560 in Barcelona and $875 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 15% 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: $71.0 in Barcelona vs $69.0 in Scarborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $267 per month, with Scarborough cheaper across the board.

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

Barcelona and Scarborough differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,316 vs $1,988 including rent). Scarborough is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $1,560 in Barcelona versus $875 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Barcelona versus $1,718 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,988 in Scarborough versus $2,316 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Scarborough but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Scarborough 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 Scarborough 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 Scarborough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.