Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Scunthorpe

For one person, living is cheaper in Scunthorpe: $2,096 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Scunthorpe
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Scunthorpe Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Scunthorpe

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Scunthorpe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,096 in Scunthorpe.

Barcelona $2,381
Scunthorpe $2,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,819 in Scunthorpe.

Barcelona $3,406
Scunthorpe $2,819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,541 in Scunthorpe.

Barcelona $4,431
Scunthorpe $3,541

Living in Barcelona is roughly 14% more expensive than in Scunthorpe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Scunthorpe 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$13.09 £9.82

36.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$89.2 £66.9

-25.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.45 £7.84

31.00%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.03 £3.03

-24.07%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.93 £1.44

59.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.22 £0.92

59.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.18 £3.89

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.69 £5.02

-31.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.46 £1.09

-10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.58 £1.18

32.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.55 £1.16

18.06%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.75 £2.81

23.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$5.36 £4.02

223.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$5.19 £3.89

78.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$7.17 £5.38

176.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.28 £1.71

32.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.88 £1.41

7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.42 £1.81

9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.73 £3.55

-39.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.84 £0.63

157.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.91 £0.69

136.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.02 £0.77

44.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.39 £1.04

-36.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$17.81 £13.36

-61.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.22 £6.17

-4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.94 £2.95

-64.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$4.70 £3.52

-44.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.64 £2.73

-20.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$96.4 £72.3

-73.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.49 £3.37

-33.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.72 £2.04

-47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$8.01 £6.01

314.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.10 £1.58

-11.43%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$38.3K £28.8K

-15.63%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$40.8K £30.6K

-22.28%

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

$183 €163

$202 £151

-9.45%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$16.90 £12.68

-19.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$45.68 £34.27

-27.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$95.1 £71.3

-42.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$8.73 £6.55

28.64%

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

$954 €849

$1,643 £1,232

-41.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$16.4K £12.3K

1.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$39.68 £29.77

116.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$20.18 £15.14

93.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$77.2 £57.9

34.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$78.1 £58.6

51.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,216 £912

39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,015 £762

25.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,284 £963

100.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,095 £821

75.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,464 £4,099

33.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$4,050 £3,039

23.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,942 £1,457

14.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.61

-41.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Scunthorpe: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Scunthorpe

$1K 48.4% 20.4% $261

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Scunthorpe

$242 11.5% 25.6% $83

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Scunthorpe

$236 11.3% 12.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Scunthorpe

$264 12.6% 15.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Scunthorpe

$97 4.6% 38.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Scunthorpe

$113 5.4% 45.9% $35

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Scunthorpe

$129 6.2% 173% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,216 in Scunthorpe. 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $89.0 in Scunthorpe. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $242, with Scunthorpe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Scunthorpe

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

81,576

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Scunthorpe 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Scunthorpe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Scunthorpe differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,096 including rent). Scunthorpe 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,216 in Scunthorpe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,643 in Scunthorpe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,096 in Scunthorpe versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Scunthorpe but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Scunthorpe 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 Scunthorpe 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 Scunthorpe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.