Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: $1,610 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,610

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,610 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,610
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,368 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,368
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,126 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,126
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands costs roughly 32% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 19% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.81 €13.18

$17.89 €15.92

-17.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 €50.8

$66.2 €58.9

-13.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 €9.17

$13.69 €12.18

-24.69%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.93

$3.06 €2.72

-29.08%

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

$2.39 €2.12

$3.07 €2.73

-22.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.94 €1.73

-12.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.03

$3.87 €3.44

-12.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$4.61 €4.10

-26.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.30 €1.16

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.10 €1.87

-35.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.83 €1.62

-8.74%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$4.62 €4.11

-37.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 €12.03

$17.36 €15.44

-22.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.22 €7.31

$9.28 €8.25

-11.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.10 €13.43

$19.83 €17.64

-23.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$3.01 €2.68

-16.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.03 €1.81

-3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.65 €2.36

-25.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.87 €2.55

-9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.16 €1.92

-19.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.15 €1.91

-6.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.47 €1.31

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.62

$0.88 €0.79

-20.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 €5.75

$6.93 €6.16

-6.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$7.83 €6.96

-26.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.39 €1.24

-13.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.63 €2.34

-22.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.91 €2.59

-41.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.64 €29.92

$25.46 €22.64

32.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.64

$3.00 €2.66

36.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.44 €1.28

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 €22.26

$33.20 €29.53

-24.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.86 €1.65

-5.38%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$32.3K €28.8K

18.39%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

-4.34%

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

$135 €120

$183 €163

-26.38%

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

$20.74 €18.45

$13.61 €12.11

52.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.89 €27.48

$32.93 €29.29

-6.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 €42.08

$54.7 €48.65

-13.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.03 €13.37

$16.52 €14.70

-9.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.02 €8.03

$11.23 €9.99

-19.68%

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

$413 €367

$954 €849

-56.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,267 €7,353

$16.6K €14.8K

-50.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 €74.8

$86.0 €76.5

-2.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.68 €30.84

$39.11 €34.78

-11.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 €77.8

$104 €92.2

-15.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.5

$119 €106

-9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €758

$1,695 €1,508

-49.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$690 €614

$1,276 €1,135

-45.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,161

$2,576 €2,291

-49.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €903

$1,922 €1,710

-47.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,320 €2,953

$7,281 €6,477

-54.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 €2,105

$5,010 €4,456

-52.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.28

6.71%

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

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$690 42.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 84.9% $586

Groceries & Markets

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$260 16.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 24.9% $65

Eating Out

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$216 13.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 25% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$186 11.6%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 23.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$141 8.8%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 10.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$65 4.1%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 18.1% $12

Getting Around

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$51 3.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 6.8% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $853 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $325 per month, with Gran Canaria, Canary Islands cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

04:55 4:55 AM

1 h ahead of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

862,893

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Barcelona 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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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

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Barcelona differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,610 vs $2,381 including rent). Gran Canaria, Canary Islands is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,414 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $3,571 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $853 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $413 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,610 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.