Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Southampton

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,405 a month against $2,681 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,681

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Southampton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $2,681 in Southampton.

Barcelona $2,405
Southampton $2,681

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $3,835 in Southampton.

Barcelona $3,477
Southampton $3,835

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $4,989 in Southampton.

Barcelona $4,550
Southampton $4,989

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 10% less than in Southampton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Southampton 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$26.05 £19.68

-30.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$90.7 £68.5

-25.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$11.35 £8.57

17.80%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$5.14 £3.89

-35.02%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$2.97 £2.24

-0.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.14 £1.62

-11.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$7.48 £5.65

-48.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$6.53 £4.94

-30.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.96 £1.48

-35.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.73 £1.31

13.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.98 £2.25

-41.28%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$4.54 £3.43

7.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$9.89 £7.47

76.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$9.43 £7.12

-3.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$14.27 £10.78

41.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.99 £2.26

3.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.75 £1.32

16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.89 £2.18

-10.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$3.55 £2.68

-23.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.78 £1.34

20.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.51 £1.14

46.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.24 £0.94

24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.74 £1.32

-46.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$21.37 £16.15

-66.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$10.85 £8.20

-29.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.95 £2.23

-49.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.46 £2.62

-21.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$3.13 £2.36

-5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$86.2 £65.1

-69.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$4.27 £3.23

-26.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.93 £1.46

-24.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$31.36 £23.70

8.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.09 £1.58

-14.35%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$37.7K £28.5K

-8.06%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$40.2K £30.3K

-24.55%

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

$181 €161

$325 £245

-44.37%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$29.44 £22.25

-53.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$53.9 £40.75

-34.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$41.02 £31.00

29.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$16.46 £12.44

-2.49%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$15.69 £11.85

-27.53%

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

$939 €838

$1,560 £1,179

-39.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$17.8K £13.4K

-7.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$103 £77.8

-14.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$50.9 £38.49

-21.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$99.4 £75.1

4.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$133 £101

-10.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$1,500 £1,133

13.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$1,192 £901

9.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$2,397 £1,811

7.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$1,859 £1,405

4.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$5,870 £4,436

27.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$5,381 £4,066

-3.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$3,333 £2,519

-31.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.96

-33.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Southampton: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Southampton

$1.2K 45% 8.3% $108

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Southampton

$319 12% 1.8% $6

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Southampton

$375 14.1% 37.9% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Southampton

$408 15.4% 78% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Southampton

$174 6.6% 10.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Southampton

$72 2.7% 4.6% $3.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Southampton

$113 4.2% 134% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,500 in Southampton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southampton pays 45% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $91.0 in Southampton. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $319, with Southampton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Southampton

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

07:33 7:33 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

228,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Southampton 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Southampton

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 Southampton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Southampton differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $2,681 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Southampton. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,500 in Southampton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $1,560 in Southampton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Southampton pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Southampton 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Southampton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.