Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sunderland Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sunderland

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,356 in Barcelona versus $1,921 in Sunderland.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,455 in Barcelona versus $2,867 in Sunderland.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,553 in Barcelona versus $3,812 in Sunderland.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 23% more expensive than Sunderland, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 75% above, Sunderland 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.01

$20.59 £15.25

-14.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €58.0

$80.7 £59.8

-15.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.96 €11.88

$10.39 £7.70

34.36%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.35

$4.78 £3.54

-42.26%

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

$2.76 €2.35

$2.37 £1.76

16.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.67

$1.56 £1.16

26.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 €3.85

$6.75 £5.00

-32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.85

$5.55 £4.11

-18.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.05

$1.60 £1.19

-22.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.73

$1.66 £1.23

22.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.63

$2.15 £1.59

-11.16%

Eggs

$3.39 €2.89

$3.51 £2.60

-3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.34 €15.60

$10.36 £7.68

77.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 €7.99

$8.91 £6.61

5.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 €16.08

$15.39 £11.40

22.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.23

$3.57 £2.64

-26.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.04

$2.01 £1.49

19.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.80

$2.68 £1.99

-20.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.30

$3.83 £2.84

-29.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.75

$1.94 £1.44

5.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 €1.52

$1.60 £1.19

11.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.25

$1.28 £0.95

14.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.77

$1.83 £1.36

-50.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.01 €5.97

$18.58 £13.77

-62.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.46

$10.86 £8.05

-30.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.22

$2.71 £2.01

-46.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €1.97

$2.99 £2.21

-22.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 €2.50

$3.08 £2.28

-4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 €25.00

$76.4 £56.6

-61.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €3.85

$6.28 £4.65

-27.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.82

$1.40 £1.04

52.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.97 €24.65

$16.14 £11.96

79.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.61

$1.94 £1.44

-2.58%

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

$39.0K €33.2K

$37.8K £28.0K

3.25%

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

$32.4K €27.6K

$43.0K £31.8K

-24.49%

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

$189 €161

$294 £218

-35.70%

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

$22.24 €18.92

$16.82 £12.47

32.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.57 €31.12

$42.33 £31.37

-13.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €49.38

$42.83 £31.73

35.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.30 €18.13

$12.47 £9.24

70.81%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.37

$13.11 £9.71

-16.02%

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

$731 €622

$1,276 £946

-42.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K €12.6K

$6,922 £5,129

114.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €76.0

$79.7 £59.1

11.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.38 €31.81

$42.90 £31.79

-12.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €89.0

$86.0 £63.7

21.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.0

$83.2 £61.7

39.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,320

$800 £593

93.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 €1,035

$599 £444

102.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,382

$1,359 £1,007

105.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,709

$985 £730

103.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,161 €6,094

$4,084 £3,026

75.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,021 €4,273

$2,164 £1,604

132.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,462 €2,095

$3,629 £2,689

-32.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.6

-39.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: April 13, 2026

Last update for Sunderland: April 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,551 in Barcelona and $800 in Sunderland. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sunderland pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Barcelona vs $81 in Sunderland. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $314, with Sunderland 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 Sunderland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sunderland differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,356 vs $1,921 including rent). Sunderland is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Sunderland earns 47% less. 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: $1,551 in Barcelona versus $800 in Sunderland. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $731 in Barcelona versus $1,276 in Sunderland. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,921 in Sunderland versus $2,356 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sunderland but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sunderland 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 Sunderland 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 Sunderland gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.