Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Swindon

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,768 in Swindon, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Swindon
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Swindon Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Swindon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Swindon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,768 in Swindon.

Barcelona $2,453
Swindon $2,768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,814 in Swindon.

Barcelona $3,509
Swindon $3,814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,861 in Swindon.

Barcelona $4,564
Swindon $4,861

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 11% less than in Swindon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Swindon 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$20.27 £15.14

-13.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$63.0 £47.07

7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.72 £8.01

26.21%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.79 £3.58

-33.40%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.12 £2.33

-6.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.60 £1.20

18.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.72 £4.27

-29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.62 £3.45

-1.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.67 £1.25

-21.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.96 £1.46

3.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.87 £1.40

-1.07%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.49 £3.35

7.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$9.48 £7.08

76.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.18 £6.86

-0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.45 £10.80

35.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.11 £2.32

-4.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.47 £1.84

-18.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.08 £3.05

-33.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.24 £3.17

-33.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.02 £1.51

3.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.73 £1.30

19.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.97 £1.47

-25.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.72 £1.28

-45.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$23.34 £17.44

-70.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$15.27 £11.41

-48.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.86 £2.88

-63.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.82 £2.86

-33.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.09 £3.06

-23.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$98.9 £73.9

-74.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$6.79 £5.07

-55.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.69 £1.26

-11.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$21.54 £16.09

54.92%

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

$40.8K £30.5K

-22.33%

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

$180 €162

$636 £475

-71.63%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$16.23 £12.12

-14.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$44.50 £33.25

-24.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$34.18 £25.54

50.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$23.11 £17.26

-30.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$17.61 £13.16

-37.59%

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

$917 €821

$1,966 £1,469

-53.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$5,376 £4,016

206.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$89.0 £66.5

-2.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$43.92 £32.81

-12.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$81.8 £61.1

29.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$85.5 £63.9

39.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,262 £943

34.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,085 £811

24.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,027 £1,515

28.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,698 £1,268

21.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,289 £3,951

30.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,741 £2,795

37.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,969 £2,218

-25.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.59

-41.32%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Swindon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Swindon

$1.1K 39.2% 19.9% $270

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Swindon

$343 12.4% 6.5% $21

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Swindon

$309 11.2% 15.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Swindon

$697 25.2% 206% $469

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Swindon

$135 4.9% 14.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Swindon

$69 2.5% 5.6% $4.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Swindon

$131 4.7% 169% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,262 in Swindon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swindon pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $63 in Swindon. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $343, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇧 Swindon

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

183,638

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Swindon 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Swindon

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 Swindon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,768 in Swindon, so Barcelona is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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 $1,262 in Swindon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,966 in Swindon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Swindon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Swindon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.