Cost of Living Comparison Between Croydon and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Croydon and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,092 in Croydon versus $2,341 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,176 in Croydon versus $3,462 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,261 in Croydon versus $4,582 in Barcelona.

Living in Croydon is roughly 32% more expensive than Barcelona, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Croydon 131% above, Barcelona 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 £11.98

$17.61 €15.04

-8.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 £49.39

$68.7 €58.7

-2.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.38 £6.94

$13.75 €11.74

-31.78%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.54

$2.76 €2.36

73.19%

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

$2.33 £1.72

$2.78 €2.38

-16.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 £0.98

$2.05 €1.75

-35.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 £5.06

$4.61 €3.93

48.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 £3.92

$4.59 €3.92

15.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.38

$1.28 €1.09

45.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.14

$2.11 €1.80

-27.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 £2.01

$1.97 €1.68

38.07%

Eggs

$3.63 £2.68

$3.44 €2.94

5.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 £5.65

$18.83 €16.08

-59.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 £5.89

$9.45 €8.07

-15.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 £10.86

$19.01 €16.24

-22.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 £1.80

$2.72 €2.32

-10.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 £0.96

$2.37 €2.03

-45.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.28

$2.08 €1.77

48.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 £1.39

$2.76 €2.36

-31.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 £0.98

$1.97 €1.68

-32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 £0.92

$1.79 €1.53

-30.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.51 €1.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.11

$0.90 €0.77

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.56 £15.22

$6.76 €5.77

204.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.73 £7.20

$7.55 €6.44

28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 £1.78

$1.44 €1.23

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.35

$2.41 €2.06

31.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 £1.81

$3.03 €2.59

-19.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 £90.8

$28.39 €24.25

332.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 £4.88

$4.43 €3.78

48.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 £1.60

$2.05 €1.75

5.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 £40.95

$29.33 €25.05

88.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.89 €1.61

4.23%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

$38.7K €33.1K

-1.10%

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

$41.4K £30.6K

$32.4K €27.6K

27.92%

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

$365 £270

$189 €161

93.42%

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

$16.46 £12.18

$22.21 €18.96

-25.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.90 £33.23

$36.82 €31.44

21.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.93 £25.85

$58.0 €49.52

-39.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 £10.11

$20.99 €17.93

-34.87%

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 £8.41

$11.05 €9.44

2.81%

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

$1,624 £1,202

$726 €620

123.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K £13.7K

$15.2K €13.0K

21.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 £54.4

$88.3 €75.4

-16.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 £37.39

$36.98 €31.58

36.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 £62.2

$103 €87.6

-18.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £118

$119 €102

33.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 £1,475

$1,526 €1,304

30.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 £1,227

$1,218 €1,040

36.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,739 £2,027

$2,794 €2,386

-1.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,448 £1,811

$2,027 €1,731

20.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,960 £6,630

$7,094 €6,058

26.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,007 £5,185

$4,849 €4,141

44.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,480 £3,315

$2,404 €2,053

86.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.08

3.39

79.35%

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

Last update for Croydon: April 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,993 in Croydon and $1,526 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Croydon pays 86% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Croydon vs $69.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $320 per month, with Croydon cheaper across the board.

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

Croydon vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Croydon and Barcelona differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($3,092 vs $2,341 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Croydon pays 86% 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: $1,993 in Croydon versus $1,526 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,624 in Croydon versus $726 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Croydon pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,341 in Barcelona versus $3,092 in Croydon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Croydon. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, Croydon 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Croydon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.