Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Farnborough and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Farnborough and in Barcelona: $2,337 and $2,399 a month, rent and utilities included.

Farnborough
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,337
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,399
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,337 in Farnborough versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

  • Farnborough $2,337
  • Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,581 in Farnborough versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

  • Farnborough $3,581
  • Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Farnborough versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

  • Farnborough $4,826
  • Barcelona $4,421

Living in Farnborough costs roughly 3% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Farnborough 73% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Farnborough
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.86 £14.90
$17.94 €15.96
10.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$86.1 £64.6
$68.1 €60.5
26.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.21 £6.91
$13.28 €11.81
-30.65%
Cappuccino
$4.58 £3.44
$3.25 €2.89
40.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 £1.98
$3.01 €2.67
-12.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 £1.52
$1.87 €1.66
8.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.15 £5.36
$3.85 €3.42
85.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.48 £4.86
$4.48 €3.98
44.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Farnborough
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 £1.07
$1.29 €1.15
10.85%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 £1.18
$2.04 €1.81
-22.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.71 £2.78
$1.72 €1.53
115.70%
Eggs
$3.32 £2.49
$4.77 €4.24
-30.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.65 £6.49
$16.77 €14.92
-48.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.21 £6.16
$8.93 €7.94
-8.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.43 £10.07
$19.88 €17.68
-32.44%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 £1.27
$2.98 €2.65
-43.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.82 £1.37
$2.03 €1.80
-10.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 £2.22
$2.73 €2.43
8.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.93 £2.20
$2.68 €2.38
9.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.59 £1.20
$2.10 €1.87
-24.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$2.08 €1.85
-24.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 £0.76
$1.45 €1.29
-30.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 £0.44
$0.89 €0.79
-33.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.40 £16.81
$6.94 €6.17
222.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.11 £8.33
$7.78 €6.92
42.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 £1.97
$1.45 €1.29
81.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 £1.60
$2.57 €2.29
-17.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Farnborough
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.57 £1.92
$2.99 €2.66
-14.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$25.20 €22.41
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.06 £2.29
$3.12 €2.77
-1.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 £1.15
$1.44 €1.28
6.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.87 £8.90
$33.50 €29.80
-64.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.79 €1.59
4.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.9K £27.7K
$34.6K €30.8K
6.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.4K
$30.1K €26.7K
34.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Farnborough
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 £122
$178 €158
-8.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.11 £11.34
$13.32 €11.85
13.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.99 £31.50
$34.88 €31.03
20.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Farnborough
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.7 £42.55
$53.3 €47.37
6.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.20 £18.15
$16.01 €14.24
51.16%
Cinema Ticket
$9.31 £6.98
$11.06 €9.84
-15.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Farnborough
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,250 £938
$957 €851
30.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.7K £14.8K
$16.6K €14.7K
18.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Farnborough
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.5 £67.9
$88.2 €78.4
2.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.41 £30.31
$39.49 €35.12
2.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 £75.6
$103 €91.5
-2.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 £90.9
$121 €108
-0.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Farnborough
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,623 £1,218
$1,653 €1,470
-1.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,283 £963
$1,302 €1,158
-1.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,483 £1,863
$2,557 €2,275
-2.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,343 £1,758
$1,915 €1,703
22.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,286 €6,481
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$5,080 €4,519
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Farnborough
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,033 £3,026
$2,281 €2,029
76.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.16
3.28
57.32%

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

Last update for Farnborough: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Farnborough
$1.3K
Barcelona
$1.3K 1.4% $18
Eating Out
Farnborough
$309
Barcelona
$270 12.5% $39
Groceries & Markets
Farnborough
$270
Barcelona
$320 18.6% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Farnborough
$220
Barcelona
$226 2.9% $6.4
Clothing & Footwear
Farnborough
$159
Barcelona
$158 0.2% $0.4
Sport & Entertainment
Farnborough
$75
Barcelona
$75 0% $0
Getting Around
Farnborough
$21 *
Barcelona
$47 126% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,623 in Farnborough and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Farnborough pays 77% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $86.0 in Farnborough vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $270 vs $320, with Farnborough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Farnborough
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
00:46 12:46 AM
01:46 1:46 AM
1 h ahead of Farnborough
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
60,652
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Farnborough Barcelona 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Farnborough
  • 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
Farnborough vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Farnborough and in Barcelona?
Farnborough and Barcelona differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,337 vs $2,399 including rent). Farnborough is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Farnborough or Barcelona?
Average pay runs 77% higher in Farnborough, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Farnborough and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,623 in Farnborough versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Farnborough and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $1,250 in Farnborough versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Farnborough – a meal for two runs $86.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is feasible on a $3,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Farnborough is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Farnborough and Barcelona?
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.
Is Farnborough or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Farnborough 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.
Where should expats move: Farnborough or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Farnborough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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