Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Slough

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,900 in Slough, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Slough, United Kingdom
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Slough
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,900
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Slough

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,900 in Slough.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Slough $2,900

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,194 in Slough.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Slough $4,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,488 in Slough.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Slough $5,488

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 15% less than in Slough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Slough 113% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Slough
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.76
$24.10 £18.00
-27.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.5
$81.2 £60.7
-16.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$10.25 £7.65
32.00%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.86
$4.98 £3.72
-35.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$2.88 £2.15
1.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$2.11 £1.58
-10.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$6.48 £4.84
-38.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$6.47 £4.84
-29.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Slough
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.84 £1.38
-28.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.48 £1.11
36.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$2.95 £2.20
-37.29%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.33
$3.61 £2.70
33.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.00
$11.10 £8.29
50.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.17
$8.61 £6.43
5.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.60
$12.52 £9.35
56.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$3.05 £2.28
-2.30%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.54 £1.15
31.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.42
$2.97 £2.22
-9.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.51
$3.22 £2.41
-13.04%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$2.63 £1.97
-20.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$1.30 £0.97
59.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.08 £0.81
35.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$1.46 £1.09
-35.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.16
$23.74 £17.74
-71.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.07
$13.39 £10.00
-41.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$2.27 £1.69
-37.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.27
$2.73 £2.04
-6.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Slough
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$3.90 £2.91
-19.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.80
$239 £178
-89.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.68
$6.77 £5.06
-55.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$4.57 £3.42
-67.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.91
$39.51 £29.52
-15.54%
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
$39.0K £29.2K
-14.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.4K
$40.0K £29.9K
-20.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Slough
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$311 £233
-42.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.40
$20.97 £15.67
-34.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.20
$45.07 £33.67
-25.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Slough
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.16
$41.57 £31.05
23.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.30
$8.45 £6.31
88.88%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.85
$13.09 £9.78
-16.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Slough
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €821
$1,750 £1,307
-47.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$24.1K £18.0K
-31.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Slough
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.0
$69.4 £51.8
25.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.51
$68.0 £50.8
-43.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.8
$114 £84.9
-6.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$109 £81.4
9.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Slough
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,523
$1,695 £1,266
0.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,214
$1,358 £1,015
-0.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,332
$2,903 £2,169
-10.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,848
$2,204 £1,646
-6.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,196
$17.8K £13.3K
-61.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,595
$13.0K £9,747
-60.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Slough
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,981
$3,377 £2,523
-34.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
5
-34.40%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Slough: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Slough
$1.4K 0.2% $2.9
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Slough
$302 6.2% $20
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Slough
$349 30.1% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Slough
$377 65.5% $149
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Slough
$162 2.5% $4
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Slough
$68 7.8% $5.8
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Slough
$284 486% $236

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,695 in Slough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Slough pays 53% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $81 in Slough. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $302, with Slough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇬🇧 Slough
🕒 Local time
01:50 1:50 AM
00:50 12:50 AM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
164,455
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Slough 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Slough

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 Slough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Slough?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,900 in Slough, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 35% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Slough?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,695 in Slough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Slough?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,750 in Slough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Slough pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Slough?
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.
How do I decide between Barcelona and Slough?
It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Slough on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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