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: $2,067 in Bradford versus $2,367 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,919 in Bradford versus $3,465 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,770 in Bradford versus $4,563 in Barcelona.

Living in Bradford costs roughly 13% less than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bradford 54% above, Barcelona 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.53 £13.05

$17.58 €15.14

-0.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 £58.9

$68.4 €58.9

15.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.98

$14.06 €12.10

-23.83%

Cappuccino

$4.53 £3.38

$2.78 €2.39

62.95%

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

$2.32 £1.73

$2.80 €2.41

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.32

$2.06 €1.78

-14.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 £3.98

$4.46 €3.84

19.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 £4.08

$4.61 €3.97

18.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.24 €1.07

27.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 £1.16

$2.03 €1.75

-23.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.53 £2.63

$1.92 €1.65

83.85%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.02

$3.31 €2.85

22.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 £7.24

$18.43 €15.87

-47.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 £6.25

$9.49 €8.17

-11.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 £10.95

$19.16 €16.50

-23.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 £2.47

$2.64 €2.27

25.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 £1.46

$2.45 €2.11

-19.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 £2.37

$2.12 €1.83

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 £2.80

$2.85 €2.45

31.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.30

$2.04 €1.75

-14.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.85 €1.59

-24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.47 €1.27

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.35

$0.84 €0.73

116.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.06 £13.45

$7.14 €6.15

152.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.70 £7.23

$7.88 €6.79

23.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 £2.14

$1.38 €1.19

107.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 £2.05

$2.31 €1.99

19.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.47 £2.58

$2.98 €2.57

16.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.8 £50.5

$29.26 €25.20

131.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 £3.97

$4.60 €3.96

15.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 £0.73

$2.07 €1.78

-53.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.30 £15.12

$29.18 €25.13

-30.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.84 €1.58

2.72%

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

$38.0K £28.3K

$39.0K €33.6K

-2.53%

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

$38.6K £28.7K

$32.7K €28.2K

17.92%

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

$307 £229

$188 €162

63.70%

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

$18.59 £13.85

$22.93 €19.75

-18.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.17 £32.15

$36.71 €31.61

17.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 £35.20

$57.4 €49.41

-17.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.11 £14.24

$20.70 €17.82

-7.68%

Cinema Ticket

$12.81 £9.54

$11.19 €9.64

14.48%

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

$1,256 £936

$721 €621

74.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K £10.3K

$15.0K €13.0K

-8.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 £59.0

$86.2 €74.2

-8.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 £32.87

$37.07 €31.92

19.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 £64.3

$102 €87.9

-15.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 £62.4

$116 €99.8

-27.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 £591

$1,534 €1,321

-48.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 £600

$1,220 €1,051

-34.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 £929

$2,696 €2,321

-53.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 £818

$2,013 €1,734

-45.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,801 £2,831

$7,220 €6,217

-47.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,991 £2,227

$5,189 €4,468

-42.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,501 £2,608

$2,359 €2,032

48.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.6

3.39

65.19%

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

Last update for Bradford: June 2, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $793 in Bradford and $1,534 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bradford pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Bradford vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $311 vs $318, 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 14% in total monthly costs ($2,067 vs $2,367 including rent). Bradford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Bradford pays 48% more on average, 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: $793 in Bradford versus $1,534 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,256 in Bradford versus $721 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,067 in Bradford versus $2,367 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 14% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.