Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Yellowknife

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,405 a month against $2,924 in Yellowknife, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
Learn more

Yellowknife Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Yellowknife

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $2,924 in Yellowknife.

Barcelona $2,405
Yellowknife $2,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $4,087 in Yellowknife.

Barcelona $3,477
Yellowknife $4,087

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $5,250 in Yellowknife.

Barcelona $4,550
Yellowknife $5,250

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 18% less than in Yellowknife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Yellowknife 118% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.03

$19.40 CA$27.59

-7.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.1

$83.3 CA$118

-19.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.92

$8.39 CA$11.94

59.36%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$4.39 CA$6.24

-23.92%

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

$2.95 €2.63

$2.39 CA$3.41

23.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.03 CA$2.88

-6.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$6.43 CA$9.15

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$6.96 CA$9.89

-34.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.75 CA$3.91

-53.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.64 CA$3.76

-25.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$4.75 CA$6.75

-63.16%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$3.15 CA$4.48

55.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.58

$6.97 CA$9.92

150.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.08

$15.66 CA$22.28

-42.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €17.99

$15.51 CA$22.06

30.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$4.81 CA$6.84

-35.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.51 CA$2.15

34.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$5.06 CA$7.20

-48.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$7.17 CA$10.20

-62.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$4.53 CA$6.45

-52.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.62 CA$5.15

-38.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.45 CA$4.91

-55.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.04 CA$1.49

-10.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$17.52 CA$24.92

-59.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.80

$14.30 CA$20.33

-46.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$4.14 CA$5.89

-64.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$6.33 CA$9.00

-56.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.13 CA$3.03

38.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.11

$52.8 CA$75.1

-50.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.79

$3.13 CA$4.46

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.37 CA$1.95

5.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.46

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.31 CA$1.86

36.64%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$24.2K CA$34.4K

43.23%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$18.8K CA$26.8K

60.89%

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

$181 €161

$355 CA$505

-49.08%

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

$13.56 €12.09

$57.5 CA$81.7

-76.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.31

$99.7 CA$142

-64.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.40

$72.1 CA$103

-26.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.31

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.13

$9.54 CA$13.57

19.18%

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

$939 €837

$593 CA$843

58.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$62.0 CA$88.1

42.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.46

$34.78 CA$49.47

14.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$99.6 CA$142

3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$114 CA$162

4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,512

$1,389 CA$1,976

22.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,160

$1,381 CA$1,964

-5.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,297

$2,101 CA$2,989

22.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,731

$2,059 CA$2,929

-5.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,660

$2,977 CA$4,235

150.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,631

$2,819 CA$4,010

84.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,050

$3,989 CA$5,673

-42.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.32

-38.35%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Yellowknife: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.3% 6.2% $80

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Yellowknife

$430 14.7% 32.2% $105

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Yellowknife

$297 10.2% 9.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Yellowknife

$512 17.5% 123% $283

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Yellowknife

$140 4.8% 11.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Yellowknife

$91 3.1% 20.1% $15

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Yellowknife

$71 2.4% 48.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,389 in Yellowknife. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yellowknife pays 73% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $83.0 in Yellowknife for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $430 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

8 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

19,234

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Yellowknife 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Yellowknife

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 Yellowknife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Yellowknife differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $2,924 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Yellowknife. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,389 in Yellowknife. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $593 in Yellowknife. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Yellowknife. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Yellowknife 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Yellowknife. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.