Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Wrexham

For one person, living is cheaper in Wrexham: $2,077 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Wrexham
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,077
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Wrexham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,077 in Wrexham.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Wrexham $2,077

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,928 in Wrexham.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Wrexham $2,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,780 in Wrexham.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Wrexham $3,780

Living in Barcelona is roughly 15% more expensive than in Wrexham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Wrexham 53% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Wrexham
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.92
$21.01 £15.76
-14.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €58.9
$67.1 £50.3
-1.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.18
$9.12 £6.84
50.11%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$4.96 £3.72
-38.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$2.18 £1.63
40.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$1.43 £1.08
35.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$5.24 £3.93
-26.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.10
$5.43 £4.08
-15.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Wrexham
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.90 £1.43
-31.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.80 £1.35
16.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.62
$2.28 £1.71
-19.74%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$3.96 £2.97
16.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.44
$8.01 £6.01
116.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.25
$5.49 £4.12
69.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.64
$15.31 £11.49
29.52%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.68
$1.99 £1.49
51.26%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$1.27 £0.95
59.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$1.48 £1.11
79.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.55
$3.05 £2.29
-5.90%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.04 £0.78
107.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.30 £0.98
65.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.33 £1.00
10.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$1.64 £1.23
-46.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.16
$22.34 £16.76
-68.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.96
$9.52 £7.14
-17.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$2.02 £1.52
-31.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.34
$2.61 £1.96
0.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Wrexham
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.59
$5.80 £4.35
-49.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.64
$97.7 £73.3
-73.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.66
$5.07 £3.80
-40.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.97 £1.48
-26.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.53
$23.96 £17.98
38.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.95 £1.47
-4.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$38.5K £28.9K
-16.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.2K
$39.9K £30.0K
-20.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Wrexham
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$185 £139
-1.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.11
$21.19 £15.89
-35.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.29
$49.38 £37.05
-33.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Wrexham
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.65
$33.20 £24.90
64.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.70
$19.99 £15.00
-17.36%
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$12.51 £9.39
-10.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Wrexham
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €849
$1,635 £1,227
-41.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$23.7K £17.8K
-30.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Wrexham
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.5
$60.0 £44.98
43.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.78
$49.15 £36.87
-20.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.2
$78.5 £58.9
32.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$66.7 £50.0
77.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Wrexham
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,508
$946 £709
79.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,135
$943 £707
35.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,291
$1,285 £964
100.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,710
$1,259 £945
52.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,477
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,456
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Wrexham
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,981
$3,369 £2,527
-33.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
5.07
-35.31%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Wrexham: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Wrexham
$943 26.1% $333
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Wrexham
$263 19% $62
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Wrexham
$307 13.7% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Wrexham
$256 11.5% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Wrexham
$114 26.8% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Wrexham
$58 24.5% $19
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Wrexham
$136 187% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $946 in Wrexham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wrexham pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $67.0 in Wrexham. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $263, with Wrexham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇬🇧 Wrexham
🕒 Local time
04:49 4:49 AM
03:49 3:49 AM
1 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
61,603
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Wrexham 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Wrexham

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 Wrexham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Wrexham?
Barcelona and Wrexham differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,077 including rent). Wrexham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Wrexham. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Wrexham?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $946 in Wrexham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Wrexham?
Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,635 in Wrexham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $2,077 in Wrexham versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wrexham but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Wrexham the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Wrexham?
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.
Is Barcelona or Wrexham safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Wrexham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Wrexham?
Expats usually find Wrexham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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