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: $2,356 in Barcelona versus $1,985 in Scarborough.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,455 in Barcelona versus $2,840 in Scarborough.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,553 in Barcelona versus $3,696 in Scarborough.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 19% more expensive than Scarborough, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 75% above, Scarborough 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.01

$14.49 £10.73

21.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €58.0

$69.5 £51.5

-1.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.96 €11.88

$10.20 £7.56

36.86%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.35

$4.41 £3.27

-37.41%

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

$2.76 €2.35

$2.17 £1.61

27.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.67

$0.96 £0.71

105.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 €3.85

$5.82 £4.32

-22.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.85

$4.76 £3.52

-4.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.05

$1.50 £1.11

-17.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.73

$1.63 £1.21

25.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.63

$2.42 £1.79

-21.07%

Eggs

$3.39 €2.89

$3.78 £2.80

-10.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.34 €15.60

$8.98 £6.66

104.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 €7.99

$8.21 £6.09

14.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 €16.08

$9.40 £6.97

101.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.23

$3.41 £2.53

-22.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.04

$1.45 £1.08

65.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.80

$1.43 £1.06

48.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.30

$2.17 £1.60

24.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.75

$1.16 £0.86

76.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 €1.52

$1.51 £1.12

17.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.25

$1.05 £0.78

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.77

$1.82 £1.35

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.01 €5.97

$11.52 £8.53

-39.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.46

$10.77 £7.98

-29.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.22

$2.81 £2.08

-48.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €1.97

$2.68 £1.99

-13.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 €2.50

$3.05 £2.26

-3.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 €25.00

$96.2 £71.3

-69.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €3.85

$4.26 £3.16

6.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.82

$1.19 £0.88

79.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.97 €24.65

$16.34 £12.10

77.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.61

$1.99 £1.48

-5.03%

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

$39.0K €33.2K

$36.2K £26.8K

7.90%

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

$32.4K €27.6K

$39.0K £28.9K

-16.81%

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

$189 €161

$281 £208

-32.69%

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

$22.24 €18.92

$16.02 £11.87

38.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.57 €31.12

$33.93 £25.14

7.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.38

$33.93 £25.15

71.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.30 €18.13

$12.88 £9.55

65.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.37

$10.96 £8.12

0.46%

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

$731 €622

$1,738 £1,288

-57.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K €12.6K

$18.3K £13.6K

-18.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €76.0

$68.2 £50.5

30.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.38 €31.81

$36.70 £27.19

1.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €89.0

$113 £83.5

-7.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.0

$89.3 £66.1

30.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,320

$895 £663

73.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 €1,035

$858 £636

41.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,382

$1,586 £1,175

76.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,709

$1,199 £888

67.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,161 €6,094

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,021 €4,273

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,462 €2,095

$2,091 £1,549

17.77%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,551 in Barcelona and $895 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 18% 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: $68 in Barcelona vs $69 in Scarborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $268, with Scarborough 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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Scarborough differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($2,356 vs $1,985 including rent). Scarborough is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 18% more on average, 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: $1,551 in Barcelona versus $895 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $731 in Barcelona versus $1,738 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,985 in Scarborough versus $2,356 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 19% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.