Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,489 in Cardiff versus $2,495 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,431 in Cardiff versus $3,550 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,374 in Cardiff versus $4,605 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs are close between Cardiff and Barcelona; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cardiff 81% above, Barcelona 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 £15.18

$18.39 €15.87

11.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 £64.8

$69.2 €59.7

26.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 £8.20

$14.13 €12.19

-21.80%

Cappuccino

$4.72 £3.50

$3.13 €2.70

50.80%

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

$3.19 £2.37

$3.02 €2.60

5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 £1.52

$1.96 €1.69

5.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 £5.84

$4.00 €3.45

97.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 £4.42

$4.76 €4.11

25.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.33

$1.25 €1.08

43.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 £1.13

$2.16 €1.87

-29.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 £1.63

$1.69 €1.45

30.18%

Eggs

$3.76 £2.79

$4.93 €4.26

-23.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 £7.25

$17.88 €15.43

-45.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.62 £6.40

$9.61 €8.29

-10.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 £10.63

$19.34 €16.69

-25.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 £2.11

$3.24 €2.79

-12.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$2.18 €1.88

-27.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 £2.28

$2.67 €2.30

14.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 £2.40

$2.77 €2.39

16.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 £1.44

$2.21 €1.91

-12.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.13

$2.19 €1.89

-30.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 £0.83

$1.52 €1.31

-26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 £1.07

$0.92 €0.80

56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.77 £16.89

$7.12 €6.14

219.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.40 £8.46

$8.14 €7.02

40.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.30

$1.50 €1.29

107.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.39

$2.78 €2.40

15.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 £2.41

$3.15 €2.72

3.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.3 £60.3

$26.99 €23.29

201.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.71 £3.49

$3.25 €2.80

44.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.50 €1.30

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.79 £27.29

$34.89 €30.11

5.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.56

$1.75 €1.51

20.57%

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

$39.1K £29.0K

$36.7K €31.6K

6.54%

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

$40.8K £30.2K

$30.9K €26.7K

31.77%

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

$314 £233

$188 €162

67.52%

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

$26.23 £19.46

$15.44 €13.32

69.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.23 £34.29

$37.80 €32.61

22.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 £25.11

$57.2 €49.34

-40.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.04 £8.93

$16.80 €14.49

-28.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.70 £7.94

$11.58 €9.99

-7.60%

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

$2,028 £1,504

$1,003 €865

102.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.0K £24.5K

$17.0K €14.7K

93.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.3 £72.9

$89.2 €77.0

10.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.02 £36.36

$40.87 €35.27

19.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 £86.9

$110 €94.9

6.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.6 £73.9

$123 €106

-18.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 £910

$1,673 €1,444

-26.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 £821

$1,331 €1,149

-16.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 £1,634

$2,596 €2,240

-15.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,547 £1,147

$1,950 €1,683

-20.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,566 £4,128

$7,573 €6,535

-26.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,550 £2,633

$5,370 €4,634

-33.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,282 £2,434

$2,402 €2,073

36.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

3.16

61.71%

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

Last update for Cardiff: August 31, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,227 in Cardiff and $1,673 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $87.0 in Cardiff vs $69.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $300 vs $332, with Cardiff 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

Cardiff vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 37% higher in Cardiff, 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: $1,227 in Cardiff versus $1,673 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,028 in Cardiff versus $1,003 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cardiff – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $69.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,489 in Cardiff versus $2,495 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cardiff but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cardiff 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, Cardiff 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.

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