Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, Canada and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,527 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,527

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,527 in Cambridge versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Cambridge $2,527
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Cambridge versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Cambridge $3,443
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,359 in Cambridge versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Cambridge $4,359
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Cambridge is roughly 3% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 86% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 CA$24.82

$17.59 €15.80

0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 CA$79.6

$67.5 €60.6

-16.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 CA$14.81

$13.53 €12.15

-22.03%

Cappuccino

$3.56 CA$5.00

$3.19 €2.87

11.60%

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

$1.99 CA$2.79

$2.91 €2.62

-31.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.89 €1.70

-35.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 CA$7.29

$4.01 €3.60

29.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 CA$8.78

$4.53 €4.07

38.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.80

$1.31 €1.17

51.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 CA$3.38

$2.02 €1.81

19.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.48

$1.85 €1.66

72.43%

Eggs

$3.32 CA$4.66

$4.83 €4.34

-31.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.77

$16.74 €15.03

-32.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 CA$15.97

$9.12 €8.19

24.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 CA$20.25

$19.64 €17.64

-26.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.70

$2.98 €2.68

36.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$2.02 €1.81

-34.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.68

$2.70 €2.43

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.25

$2.80 €2.52

33.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.87

$2.09 €1.87

32.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.72

$2.07 €1.86

-6.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 CA$2.81

$1.46 €1.31

36.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$0.94 €0.84

37.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.93 CA$18.15

$6.87 €6.17

88.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.40 CA$17.41

$7.89 €7.08

57.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$1.41 €1.26

86.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CA$5.67

$2.54 €2.28

59.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 CA$3.93

$3.14 €2.82

-10.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 CA$97.5

$25.45 €22.86

172.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 CA$3.59

$2.99 €2.69

-14.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 CA$2.52

$1.49 €1.34

20.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.32 CA$32.73

$33.37 €29.98

-30.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.80 €1.61

-32.22%

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

$26.5K CA$37.2K

$33.2K €29.8K

-20.16%

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

$20.7K CA$29.0K

$31.7K €28.5K

-34.76%

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

$152 CA$214

$180 €162

-15.55%

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

$42.51 CA$59.7

$13.84 €12.43

207.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CA$70.9

$33.70 €30.27

49.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 CA$40.20

$51.5 €46.27

-44.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 CA$15.07

$10.99 €9.88

-2.27%

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

$497 CA$698

$917 €823

-45.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.2K

$16.5K €14.8K

-3.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 CA$89.1

$87.0 €78.2

-27.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 CA$46.41

$38.51 €34.59

-14.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 CA$115

$106 €95.1

-22.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$148

$120 €108

-11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 CA$2,146

$1,699 €1,527

-10.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 CA$1,957

$1,355 €1,217

2.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 CA$2,887

$2,603 €2,338

-20.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 CA$2,625

$2,062 €1,853

-9.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,450 CA$6,245

$6,915 €6,211

-35.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,682 CA$5,168

$5,128 €4,606

-28.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,028 CA$4,250

$2,211 €1,986

36.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

3.28

59.15%

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

Last update for Cambridge: 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

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 2.8% $39

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$349 13.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 7.8% $27

Eating Out

Cambridge

$267 10.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 0.3% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$245 9.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 7.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$128 5.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 23.4% $30

Getting Around

Cambridge

$92 3.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 47.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$50 2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 46.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,529 in Cambridge and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Cambridge vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

02:02 2:02 AM

5 h ahead of Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

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 29, 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cambridge Barcelona 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

Cambridge vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,527 in Cambridge and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Cambridge, 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: $1,529 in Cambridge versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $497 in Cambridge 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 Cambridge. 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, Cambridge on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.