Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Ipswich and in Barcelona: $2,348 and $2,381 a month, rent and utilities included.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ipswich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,348

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,348 in Ipswich versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Ipswich $2,348
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,450 in Ipswich versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Ipswich $3,450
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,551 in Ipswich versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Ipswich $4,551
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Ipswich costs roughly 1% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ipswich 73% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.87 £15.66

$17.89 €15.92

16.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 £79.2

$66.2 €58.9

59.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.91

$13.69 €12.18

-23.01%

Cappuccino

$5.50 £4.12

$3.06 €2.72

79.74%

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

$1.68 £1.26

$3.07 €2.73

-45.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.94 €1.73

-5.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 £5.12

$3.87 €3.44

76.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 £5.22

$4.61 €4.10

50.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.30 €1.16

35.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.10 €1.87

-19.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.83 €1.62

-9.84%

Eggs

$4.31 £3.24

$4.62 €4.11

-6.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.43

$17.36 €15.44

-27.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 £6.61

$9.28 €8.25

-5.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.47 £11.61

$19.83 €17.64

-21.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$3.01 €2.68

2.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$2.03 €1.81

-27.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.09

$2.65 €2.36

4.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.87 €2.55

12.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.16 €1.92

-21.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.15 €1.91

-33.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.47 €1.31

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 £1.10

$0.88 €0.79

65.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.41 £17.56

$6.93 €6.16

237.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 £8.15

$7.83 €6.96

38.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 £2.01

$1.39 €1.24

92.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 £2.76

$2.63 €2.34

39.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 £2.11

$2.91 €2.59

-3.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.7 £65.8

$25.46 €22.64

244.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 £4.21

$3.00 €2.66

87.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.44 €1.28

36.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.41 £25.06

$33.20 €29.53

0.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.86 €1.65

5.38%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

$32.3K €28.8K

21.43%

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

$41.3K £31.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

30.26%

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

$375 £281

$183 €163

105.25%

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

$15.89 £11.92

$13.61 €12.11

16.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.34 £30.26

$32.93 €29.29

22.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.29 £24.97

$54.7 €48.65

-39.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.97 £5.98

$16.52 €14.70

-51.76%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 £13.32

$11.23 €9.99

58.15%

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

$1,076 £807

$954 €849

12.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K £15.1K

$16.6K €14.8K

21.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.5 £51.4

$86.0 €76.5

-20.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 £41.39

$39.11 €34.78

41.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 £60.1

$104 €92.2

-22.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 £51.9

$119 €106

-41.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 £822

$1,695 €1,508

-35.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$972 £729

$1,276 €1,135

-23.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 £1,058

$2,576 €2,291

-45.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 £1,155

$1,922 €1,710

-19.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,009 £3,758

$7,281 €6,477

-31.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,015 £3,012

$5,010 €4,456

-19.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,990 £2,243

$2,227 €1,981

34.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.28

44.51%

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

Last update for Ipswich: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

$972 41.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 31.3% $304

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$431 18.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 46.8% $202

Eating Out

Ipswich

$327 13.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 17.5% $57

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$312 13.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 4.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

$123 5.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 27.3% $34

Getting Around

Ipswich

$114 4.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 58.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$69 2.9%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 12.2% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,096 in Ipswich and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ipswich pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $106 in Ipswich vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $325, with Ipswich cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ipswich

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

1 h ahead of Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ipswich Barcelona 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ipswich
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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

Ipswich vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ipswich and Barcelona differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,348 vs $2,381 including rent). Ipswich is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Ipswich, 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: $1,096 in Ipswich versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,076 in Ipswich 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 4% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,348 in Ipswich versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Ipswich but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ipswich 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, Ipswich 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 Ipswich gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.