Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Swords

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,598 in Swords, 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Swords

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,598 in Swords.

Barcelona $2,453
Swords $2,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,804 in Swords.

Barcelona $3,509
Swords $3,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,010 in Swords.

Barcelona $4,564
Swords $5,010

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 6% less than in Swords, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Swords 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$22.16 €19.91

-20.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$98.6 €88.6

-31.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$13.20 €11.86

2.50%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$4.93 €4.43

-35.29%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.98 €2.68

-2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.16 €1.94

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$8.03 €7.21

-50.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$6.74 €6.05

-32.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.58 €1.42

-17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.35 €2.11

-14.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.03 €1.83

-8.87%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$4.24 €3.81

13.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$9.89 €8.89

69.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$10.86 €9.76

-16.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$13.29 €11.94

47.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.75 €2.47

8.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.27 €2.04

-11.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.79 €2.51

-3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.17 €3.75

-32.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.87 €1.68

11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.47 €1.33

40.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.30 €1.16

12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.90 €1.70

-50.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$20.52 €18.44

-66.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.09

$13.39 €12.03

-41.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.35 €3.01

-57.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.45 €3.10

-26.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.26 €2.03

38.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$5.00 €4.49

-40.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.47 €1.32

1.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.99

$37.35 €33.55

-10.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$2.16 €1.94

-16.67%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$38.6K €34.7K

-13.97%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$38.0K €34.1K

-16.57%

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

$180 €162

$246 €221

-26.75%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$18.68 €16.78

-25.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.28

$51.2 €45.97

-34.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.28

$40.58 €36.46

26.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$13.43 €12.07

-18.17%

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

$917 €824

$1,010 €907

-9.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$5,183 €4,656

217.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$100 €90.0

-13.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.60

$48.06 €43.18

-19.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$108 €97.1

-2.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$113 €101

6.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,556 €1,398

9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,218

$1,342 €1,206

1.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$2,584 €2,322

0.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$2,165 €1,945

-4.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,213

$4,721 €4,242

46.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,607

$3,447 €3,097

48.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.68

-10.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Swords

$1.3K 51.7% 1% $13

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Swords

$335 12.9% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Swords

$350 13.5% 30.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Swords

$316 12.2% 38.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Swords

$166 6.4% 5.1% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Swords

$67 2.6% 8.2% $6.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Swords

$21 * 0.8% 55.9% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,556 in Swords. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $99 in Swords for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $335 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇪 Swords

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

40,776

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Swords 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Swords

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 Swords: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Swords differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $2,598 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $3,897 in Swords to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,556 in Swords. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,010 in Swords. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $99 in Swords. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Swords are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.