Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Burnaby despite lower rent and utilities.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burnaby 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 Burnaby and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,678 in Burnaby versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Burnaby $2,678
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,827 in Burnaby versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Burnaby $3,827
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,976 in Burnaby versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Burnaby $4,976
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Burnaby is roughly 9% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 97% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 CA$29.79

$17.59 €15.80

20.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 CA$121

$67.5 €60.6

28.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 CA$13.37

$13.53 €12.15

-29.56%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CA$6.56

$3.19 €2.87

46.39%

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

$2.45 CA$3.44

$2.91 €2.62

-15.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.52

$1.89 €1.70

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 CA$12.03

$4.01 €3.60

113.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 CA$8.67

$4.53 €4.07

36.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$1.31 €1.17

78.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.88

$2.02 €1.81

36.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.95

$1.85 €1.66

90.27%

Eggs

$3.17 CA$4.45

$4.83 €4.34

-34.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 CA$19.72

$16.74 €15.03

-16.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 CA$19.75

$9.12 €8.19

54.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.31 CA$35.52

$19.64 €17.64

28.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 CA$6.20

$2.98 €2.68

48.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$2.02 €1.81

-36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.47

$2.70 €2.43

70.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.48

$2.80 €2.52

64.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.95

$2.09 €1.87

34.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.96

$2.07 €1.86

71.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$1.46 €1.31

87.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$0.94 €0.84

123.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$19.96

$6.87 €6.17

107.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$18.79

$7.89 €7.08

69.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 CA$2.88

$1.41 €1.26

45.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$2.54 €2.28

-8.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 CA$3.56

$3.14 €2.82

-19.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.6 CA$115

$25.45 €22.86

220.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.04

$2.99 €2.69

-3.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.12

$1.49 €1.34

1.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 CA$37.12

$33.37 €29.98

-20.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.92

$1.80 €1.61

-23.89%

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

$28.5K CA$40.1K

$33.2K €29.8K

-14.00%

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

$20.9K CA$29.4K

$31.7K €28.5K

-33.92%

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

$126 CA$177

$180 €162

-30.01%

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

$44.96 CA$63.1

$13.84 €12.43

224.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.0

$33.70 €30.27

56.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.23 CA$43.83

$51.5 €46.27

-39.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.52 CA$14.77

$15.96 €14.34

-34.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 CA$19.97

$10.99 €9.88

29.48%

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

$649 CA$910

$917 €823

-29.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CA$73.3

$87.0 €78.2

-40.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 CA$72.1

$38.51 €34.59

33.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$106 €95.1

-2.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 CA$111

$120 €108

-33.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 CA$2,376

$1,699 €1,527

-0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 CA$1,973

$1,355 €1,217

3.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 CA$3,681

$2,603 €2,338

0.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 CA$2,786

$2,062 €1,853

-3.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,886 CA$9,663

$6,915 €6,211

-0.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,338 CA$7,491

$5,128 €4,606

4.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,149 CA$4,419

$2,211 €1,986

42.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

3.28

45.12%

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

Last update for Burnaby: 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

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 3.6% $51

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$431 16.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 25.3% $109

Eating Out

Burnaby

$327 12.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 18% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$224 8.4%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 1.8% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$129 4.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 22.7% $29

Getting Around

Burnaby

$102 3.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 52.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$60 2.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 23.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,693 in Burnaby and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Burnaby vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

8 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Burnaby Barcelona 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
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

Burnaby vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,678 in Burnaby and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Burnaby, 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: $1,693 in Burnaby versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $649 in Burnaby 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 34% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Burnaby on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.