Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Trowbridge Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Trowbridge

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $2,325 in Trowbridge.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $3,393 in Trowbridge.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $4,460 in Trowbridge.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 2% more expensive than Trowbridge, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Trowbridge 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$19.68 £14.66

-10.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$93.4 £69.6

-26.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$9.75 £7.26

44.21%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$4.24 £3.15

-34.43%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$2.34 £1.74

19.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$1.77 £1.32

16.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$6.87 £5.12

-35.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$5.36 £3.99

-13.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.63 £1.21

-23.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.24 £0.92

63.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$2.65 £1.97

-27.55%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$3.39 £2.53

-2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$9.58 £7.13

92.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$7.10 £5.29

33.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$13.83 £10.30

38.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$2.77 £2.06

-4.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.21 £0.90

102.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$2.24 £1.67

-5.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$2.25 £1.68

26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.53 £1.14

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.25 £0.93

48.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$0.94 £0.70

56.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.38 £1.03

-39.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$17.46 £13.00

-59.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$9.89 £7.37

-20.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$2.57 £1.91

-46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.49 £1.85

-7.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$3.36 £2.50

-11.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$88.2 £65.7

-66.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$4.18 £3.12

10.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.60 £1.19

29.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$26.06 £19.41

11.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.87 £1.40

-1.60%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$38.9K £28.9K

0.42%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$39.0K £29.1K

-16.19%

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

$188 €162

$348 £259

-45.96%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$16.15 £12.03

41.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$45.54 £33.92

-19.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$45.33 £33.76

26.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$16.54 £12.32

-32.35%

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

$721 €621

$2,284 £1,701

-68.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$16.2K £12.1K

-7.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$83.8 £62.4

2.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$30.59 £22.78

21.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$90.7 £67.6

12.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$85.2 £63.4

36.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$1,241 £924

23.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$1,005 £748

21.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$2,065 £1,538

30.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$1,668 £1,243

20.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$5,229 £3,894

38.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$3,158 £2,352

-25.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.82

-41.75%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Trowbridge: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $1,241 in Trowbridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trowbridge pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $93.0 in Trowbridge. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $265, with Trowbridge 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 Trowbridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Trowbridge differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $2,325 including rent). Trowbridge is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Trowbridge earns 34% 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $1,241 in Trowbridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $2,284 in Trowbridge. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,325 in Trowbridge versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Trowbridge but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Trowbridge 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 Trowbridge 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 Trowbridge gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.