Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Stevenage

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,591 in Stevenage, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Stevenage
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Stevenage Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Stevenage

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Stevenage

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,591 in Stevenage.

Barcelona $2,453
Stevenage $2,591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,874 in Stevenage.

Barcelona $3,509
Stevenage $3,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,157 in Stevenage.

Barcelona $4,564
Stevenage $5,157

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 5% less than in Stevenage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Stevenage 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$26.98 £20.15

-34.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$78.6 £58.7

-14.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.62 £7.93

27.40%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.95 £3.70

-35.56%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.89 £1.41

53.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.72 £1.28

9.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.63 £4.21

-28.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.66 £4.23

-19.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.72 £1.28

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.53 £1.14

32.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.87 £1.39

-1.07%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.17 £3.12

15.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$8.50 £6.35

96.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.63 £6.44

5.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$13.67 £10.21

43.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.30 £2.47

-9.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.45 £1.09

39.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.08 £2.30

-12.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.80 £2.09

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.17 £0.87

78.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.73 £1.29

19.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.20 £0.90

21.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.02 £0.76

-7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$23.34 £17.44

-70.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$10.05 £7.51

-21.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.74 £2.04

-48.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.02 £2.26

-15.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.37 £2.52

-6.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$105 £78.7

-75.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.68 £2.75

-18.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.78 £1.33

-16.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$19.73 £14.74

69.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.00 £1.49

-10.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$37.8K £28.3K

-12.28%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$40.0K £29.9K

-20.83%

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

$180 €162

$235 £175

-23.10%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$22.46 £16.78

-38.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$44.13 £32.97

-23.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$47.61 £35.57

8.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.27 £9.91

-17.18%

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

$917 €821

$1,049 £784

-12.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$78.0 £58.3

11.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$38.24 £28.57

0.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$64.3 £48.05

64.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$88.6 £66.2

35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,644 £1,228

3.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,321 £987

2.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$3,008 £2,247

-13.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,354 £1,758

-12.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,268 £2,441

-32.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.51

-40.47%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stevenage: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Stevenage

$1.3K 51% 2.5% $35

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Stevenage

$282 10.9% 12.5% $40

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Stevenage

$361 13.9% 34.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Stevenage

$301 11.6% 32.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Stevenage

$121 4.7% 23.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Stevenage

$74 2.9% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Stevenage

$131 5.1% 171% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,644 in Stevenage. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stevenage pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $79 in Stevenage. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $282, with Stevenage cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Stevenage

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

89,663

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Stevenage 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Stevenage

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 Stevenage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,591 in Stevenage, so Barcelona is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,644 in Stevenage. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,049 in Stevenage. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Stevenage pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Stevenage on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.