Cost of Living Comparison Between Bradford and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Bradford and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,130 in Bradford versus $2,495 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Bradford versus $3,550 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,041 in Bradford versus $4,605 in Barcelona.

Living in Bradford costs roughly 15% less than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bradford 55% above, Barcelona 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.61 £15.98

$18.39 €15.81

17.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 £59.6

$69.2 €59.5

16.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.01

$14.13 €12.15

-23.35%

Cappuccino

$4.51 £3.33

$3.13 €2.69

44.09%

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

$2.30 £1.70

$3.02 €2.59

-23.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 £1.47

$1.96 €1.69

1.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.49

$4.00 €3.44

52.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 £4.09

$4.76 €4.09

16.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.11

$1.25 €1.07

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.26

$2.16 €1.86

-21.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 £2.10

$1.69 €1.45

68.05%

Eggs

$4.14 £3.06

$4.93 €4.24

-16.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 £6.77

$17.88 €15.37

-48.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.84 £6.53

$9.61 €8.26

-8.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.85 £10.98

$19.34 €16.63

-23.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 £2.27

$3.24 €2.78

-4.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 £1.51

$2.18 €1.87

-6.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 £2.15

$2.67 €2.30

8.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 £2.63

$2.77 €2.38

28.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 £1.32

$2.21 €1.90

-19.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 £1.30

$2.19 €1.88

-20.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 £0.91

$1.52 €1.31

-19.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.18

$0.92 €0.79

72.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.65 £15.26

$7.12 €6.12

190.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 £8.07

$8.14 €6.99

34.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 £2.57

$1.50 €1.29

132.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 £2.50

$2.78 €2.39

21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 £2.03

$3.15 €2.71

-12.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 £49.84

$26.99 €23.21

149.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 £3.32

$3.25 €2.79

38.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 £1.09

$1.50 €1.29

-2.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.40 £15.08

$34.89 €30.00

-41.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.47

$1.75 €1.50

13.71%

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

$39.0K £28.9K

$36.7K €31.5K

6.51%

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

$40.9K £30.2K

$30.9K €26.6K

32.19%

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

$347 £257

$188 €161

85.08%

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

$20.91 £15.46

$15.44 €13.27

35.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.98 £31.03

$37.80 €32.49

11.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.23 £26.78

$57.2 €49.16

-36.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 £14.80

$16.80 €14.44

19.17%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 £10.17

$11.58 €9.95

18.74%

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

$1,256 £928

$1,003 €862

25.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K £16.8K

$17.0K €14.6K

33.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 £65.8

$89.2 €76.7

-0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 £34.95

$40.87 €35.14

15.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 £68.5

$110 €94.5

-15.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.6 £67.7

$123 €105

-25.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$856 £633

$1,673 €1,438

-48.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 £559

$1,331 €1,145

-43.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 £941

$2,596 €2,232

-50.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 £913

$1,950 €1,676

-36.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,220 £3,119

$7,573 €6,511

-44.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,054 £2,257

$5,370 €4,617

-43.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,516 £2,599

$2,402 €2,065

46.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

3.16

57.91%

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

Last update for Bradford: August 30, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $856 in Bradford and $1,673 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bradford pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Bradford vs $69.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $332, with Bradford 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

Bradford vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bradford and Barcelona differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,130 vs $2,495 including rent). Bradford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Bradford, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $856 in Bradford versus $1,673 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,256 in Bradford versus $1,003 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,130 in Bradford versus $2,495 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bradford but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bradford 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, Bradford and Barcelona 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 Bradford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.