Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,737 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,737

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burlington and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Burlington and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,737 in Burlington versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Burlington $2,737
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,881 in Burlington versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Burlington $3,881
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,025 in Burlington versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Burlington $5,025
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Burlington is roughly 12% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington 101% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.84 CA$30.51

$17.59 €15.75

24.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.3 CA$101

$67.5 €60.5

7.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 CA$14.80

$13.53 €12.12

-21.66%

Cappuccino

$3.31 CA$4.62

$3.19 €2.86

3.76%

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

$2.00 CA$2.80

$2.91 €2.61

-31.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.89 €1.70

-17.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.79

$4.01 €3.59

38.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 CA$8.53

$4.53 €4.06

34.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 CA$3.63

$1.31 €1.17

98.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 CA$4.00

$2.02 €1.81

41.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.29

$1.85 €1.66

104.32%

Eggs

$3.76 CA$5.25

$4.83 €4.33

-22.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 CA$13.97

$16.74 €14.99

-40.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 CA$14.79

$9.12 €8.17

16.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 CA$20.65

$19.64 €17.59

-24.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.36

$2.98 €2.67

28.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$2.02 €1.81

-26.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$2.70 €2.42

-1.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.10

$2.80 €2.51

30.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.09 €1.87

-6.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CA$2.68

$2.07 €1.85

-7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 CA$2.92

$1.46 €1.31

43.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.06

$0.94 €0.84

56.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.64 CA$19.06

$6.87 €6.15

98.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 CA$15.08

$7.89 €7.06

36.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 CA$3.92

$1.41 €1.26

98.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CA$4.09

$2.54 €2.27

14.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$3.14 €2.82

-15.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 CA$140

$25.45 €22.79

292.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 CA$7.12

$2.99 €2.68

70.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 CA$3.40

$1.49 €1.34

63.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.32 CA$60.5

$33.37 €29.89

29.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.67

$1.80 €1.61

-33.89%

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

$27.8K CA$38.8K

$33.2K €29.7K

-16.28%

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

$21.7K CA$30.4K

$31.7K €28.4K

-31.43%

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

$144 CA$201

$180 €162

-20.20%

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

$44.16 CA$61.7

$13.84 €12.39

219.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 CA$94.2

$33.70 €30.18

100.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.66 CA$61.0

$51.5 €46.13

-15.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.23 CA$42.24

$15.96 €14.29

89.41%

Cinema Ticket

$16.13 CA$22.55

$10.99 €9.85

46.77%

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

$902 CA$1,261

$917 €821

-1.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K CA$26.6K

$16.5K €14.8K

15.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 CA$96.8

$87.0 €77.9

-20.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.5 CA$91.5

$38.51 €34.49

70.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$140

$106 €94.8

-5.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 CA$139

$120 €107

-16.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,729 CA$2,416

$1,699 €1,522

1.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 CA$2,069

$1,355 €1,214

9.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,599 CA$3,632

$2,603 €2,331

-0.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,176 CA$3,041

$2,062 €1,847

5.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,270 CA$7,364

$6,915 €6,193

-23.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,145 CA$5,791

$5,128 €4,592

-19.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 CA$4,590

$2,211 €1,980

48.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.52

3.28

37.80%

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

Last update for Burlington: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington

$1.5K 54.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 8.5% $125

Groceries & Markets

Burlington

$346 12.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 7% $24

Eating Out

Burlington

$300 11%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 10.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington

$256 9.3%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 10.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington

$151 5.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 4.9% $7.4

Getting Around

Burlington

$128 4.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 62% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington

$76 2.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 3.2% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,729 in Burlington and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $72 in Burlington vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burlington

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

14:58 2:58 PM

6 h ahead of Burlington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,314

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Burlington Barcelona 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington
Barcelona

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

Burlington vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,737 in Burlington and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Burlington, 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: $1,729 in Burlington versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $902 in Burlington versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Burlington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Burlington on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.