Comparación del coste de vida entre London y Barcelona Comparación del coste de vida entre London y Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,471 in London versus $2,341 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,488 in London versus $3,462 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,506 in London versus $4,582 in Barcelona.

Living in London is roughly 6% more expensive than Barcelona, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 85% above, Barcelona 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.58 CA$25.46

$17.61 €15.08

5.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.9 CA$99.9

$68.7 €58.8

6.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 CA$14.07

$13.75 €11.77

-25.31%

Cappuccino

$3.58 CA$4.91

$2.76 €2.36

29.71%

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

$1.90 CA$2.60

$2.78 €2.38

-31.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 CA$2.55

$2.05 €1.75

-9.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 CA$8.13

$4.61 €3.94

28.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 CA$9.30

$4.59 €3.93

47.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 CA$2.32

$1.28 €1.10

32.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 CA$3.28

$2.11 €1.81

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.61

$1.97 €1.69

71.07%

Eggs

$3.38 CA$4.63

$3.44 €2.95

-1.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 CA$13.44

$18.83 €16.12

-47.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.18 CA$16.69

$9.45 €8.09

28.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.03 CA$12.38

$19.01 €16.27

-52.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 CA$6.14

$2.72 €2.33

64.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 CA$1.87

$2.37 €2.03

-42.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 CA$4.94

$2.08 €1.78

73.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.29

$2.76 €2.36

39.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.32

$1.97 €1.69

-14.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.81

$1.79 €1.53

14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 CA$2.89

$1.51 €1.29

39.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 CA$1.96

$0.90 €0.77

58.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.47 CA$17.08

$6.76 €5.79

84.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.28 CA$18.20

$7.55 €6.46

75.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 CA$2.95

$1.44 €1.23

49.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 CA$3.53

$2.41 €2.06

7.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 CA$3.21

$3.03 €2.59

-22.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.9 CA$112

$28.39 €24.30

188.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 CA$5.61

$4.43 €3.79

-7.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 CA$2.40

$2.05 €1.76

-14.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$42.54

$29.33 €25.11

5.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 CA$1.53

$1.89 €1.62

-41.27%

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

$25.3K CA$34.7K

$38.7K €33.2K

-34.70%

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

$20.4K CA$27.9K

$32.4K €27.7K

-37.01%

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

$143 CA$196

$189 €161

-24.12%

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

$46.69 CA$64.0

$22.21 €19.01

110.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 CA$80.0

$36.82 €31.52

58.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 CA$57.9

$58.0 €49.64

-27.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 CA$10.03

$20.99 €17.97

-65.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.02 CA$15.10

$11.05 €9.46

-0.27%

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

$554 CA$759

$726 €622

-23.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K CA$19.5K

$15.2K €13.0K

-6.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$75.7

$88.3 €75.6

-37.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.60 CA$63.8

$36.98 €31.66

26.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 CA$117

$103 €87.8

-16.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 CA$111

$119 €102

-32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 CA$1,997

$1,526 €1,307

-4.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 CA$1,792

$1,218 €1,043

7.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,574 CA$3,526

$2,794 €2,392

-7.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 CA$2,739

$2,027 €1,735

-1.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,587 CA$4,915

$7,094 €6,073

-49.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,702 CA$5,071

$4,849 €4,151

-23.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,024 CA$4,142

$2,404 €2,058

25.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

3.39

83.19%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para London: April 28, 2026

Última actualización para Barcelona: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,457 in London and $1,526 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 26% 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: $73.0 in London vs $69.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

London vs Barcelona: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

London and Barcelona differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,471 vs $2,341 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

London pays 26% 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: $1,457 in London versus $1,526 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $554 in London versus $726 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,341 in Barcelona versus $2,471 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in London. 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, London 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 6% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.