Cost of Living Comparison Between Exeter and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Exeter and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,386 in Exeter versus $2,359 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,893 in Exeter versus $3,498 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,400 in Exeter versus $4,638 in Barcelona.

Living in Exeter is roughly 1% more expensive than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Exeter 79% above, Barcelona 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.34 £15.08

$17.15 €14.88

18.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 £65.3

$68.1 €59.0

29.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 £7.64

$13.64 €11.84

-24.49%

Cappuccino

$4.46 £3.31

$2.78 €2.41

60.43%

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

$3.14 £2.33

$2.82 €2.45

11.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.25

$1.96 €1.70

-13.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.56 £5.60

$4.43 €3.84

70.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 £4.41

$4.61 €3.99

28.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.27 €1.11

32.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 £1.41

$2.13 €1.85

-10.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.99 €1.72

-16.08%

Eggs

$4.72 £3.50

$3.37 €2.92

40.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 £6.09

$18.96 €16.45

-56.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 £5.12

$9.53 €8.27

-27.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 £14.23

$18.73 €16.25

2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 £1.80

$2.65 €2.30

-8.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 £0.95

$2.35 €2.04

-45.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 £1.72

$2.09 €1.81

11.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 £2.29

$2.73 €2.37

13.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.96 €1.70

-41.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 £0.98

$1.81 €1.57

-27.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 £0.73

$1.51 €1.31

-34.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 £1.08

$0.89 €0.78

64.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.94 £16.27

$6.78 €5.88

223.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 £7.07

$7.92 €6.87

20.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 £1.99

$1.37 €1.19

96.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 £1.88

$2.40 €2.08

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 £1.98

$2.91 €2.52

-7.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 £78.9

$28.66 €24.86

271.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.65 £4.93

$4.58 €3.97

45.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 £1.27

$2.04 €1.77

-15.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.98 £16.30

$28.72 €24.91

-23.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.82 €1.58

6.59%

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

$38.9K £28.8K

$39.3K €34.1K

-1.12%

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

$39.1K £29.0K

$32.5K €28.2K

20.47%

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

$335 £249

$187 €162

79.72%

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

$16.41 £12.17

$22.29 €19.34

-26.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.34 £33.62

$36.37 €31.55

24.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.84 £29.54

$57.5 €49.91

-30.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.43 £10.70

$20.74 €17.99

-30.42%

Cinema Ticket

$12.37 £9.17

$10.77 €9.34

14.86%

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

$1,495 £1,109

$725 €629

106.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K £15.5K

$15.2K €13.1K

38.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.0 £56.3

$87.9 €76.2

-13.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 £25.60

$36.81 €31.93

-6.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £76.7

$103 €89.7

0.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 £80.7

$119 €103

-8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 £991

$1,524 €1,322

-12.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 £738

$1,227 €1,064

-18.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 £1,919

$2,727 €2,366

-5.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 £1,819

$1,984 €1,721

23.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,424 £4,022

$7,469 €6,479

-27.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 £4,780

$5,243 €4,549

22.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,124 £2,317

$2,393 €2,076

30.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.72

3.39

68.73%

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

Last update for Exeter: July 28, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,336 in Exeter and $1,524 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Exeter pays 31% 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: $88.0 in Exeter vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $319, with Exeter 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

Exeter vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Exeter and Barcelona differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,386 vs $2,359 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Exeter, 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: $1,336 in Exeter versus $1,524 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,495 in Exeter versus $725 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Exeter pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,359 in Barcelona versus $2,386 in Exeter, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Exeter. 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, Exeter 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 1% less than in Exeter. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.