Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London, Canada and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in London: $2,342 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

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London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,342

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,342 in London versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

London $2,342
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,356 in London versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

London $3,356
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,370 in London versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

London $4,370
Barcelona $4,564

Living in London costs roughly 5% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 72% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.44 CA$29.96

$17.59 €15.75

21.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 CA$90.6

$67.5 €60.5

-3.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.45 CA$17.40

$13.53 €12.12

-7.98%

Cappuccino

$3.75 CA$5.24

$3.19 €2.86

17.55%

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

$2.21 CA$3.09

$2.91 €2.61

-24.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 CA$2.98

$1.89 €1.70

12.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.26 CA$8.74

$4.01 €3.59

56.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 CA$8.94

$4.53 €4.06

41.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$1.31 €1.17

44.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$2.02 €1.81

32.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.68

$1.85 €1.66

120.00%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$4.83 €4.33

-23.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 CA$14.00

$16.74 €14.99

-40.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.75 CA$16.41

$9.12 €8.17

28.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 CA$20.85

$19.64 €17.59

-24.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 CA$6.11

$2.98 €2.67

46.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.68

$2.02 €1.81

-40.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.29

$2.70 €2.42

40.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$2.80 €2.51

50.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.47

$2.09 €1.87

53.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.30

$2.07 €1.85

48.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$1.46 €1.31

72.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.16

$0.94 €0.84

63.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.01 CA$16.78

$6.87 €6.15

74.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 CA$17.72

$7.89 €7.06

60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$1.41 €1.26

80.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.54 €2.27

14.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.56

$3.14 €2.82

-18.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.3 CA$112

$25.45 €22.79

215.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 CA$3.42

$2.99 €2.68

-18.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.49 €1.34

10.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.15 CA$30.95

$33.37 €29.89

-33.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.74

$1.80 €1.61

-30.56%

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

$26.8K CA$37.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

-19.24%

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

$23.2K CA$32.4K

$31.7K €28.4K

-26.92%

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

$139 CA$194

$180 €162

-23.00%

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

$39.22 CA$54.8

$13.84 €12.39

183.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 CA$79.1

$33.70 €30.18

67.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.95 CA$50.2

$51.5 €46.13

-30.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.81 CA$40.25

$15.96 €14.29

80.51%

Cinema Ticket

$10.83 CA$15.14

$10.99 €9.85

-1.46%

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

$419 CA$586

$917 €821

-54.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K CA$29.1K

$16.5K €14.8K

26.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 CA$75.7

$87.0 €77.9

-37.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.94 CA$54.4

$38.51 €34.49

1.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 CA$113

$106 €94.8

-23.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 CA$128

$120 €107

-23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 CA$1,849

$1,699 €1,522

-22.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 CA$1,606

$1,355 €1,214

-15.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 CA$2,932

$2,603 €2,331

-19.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 CA$2,349

$2,062 €1,847

-18.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,124 CA$5,762

$6,915 €6,193

-40.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 CA$4,823

$5,128 €4,592

-32.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,052 CA$4,265

$2,211 €1,980

38.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

3.28

43.90%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$1.1K 49.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 17.9% $206

Groceries & Markets

London

$364 15.5%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 11.5% $42

Eating Out

London

$315 13.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 15% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$235 10%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 2.9% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

London

$119 5.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 32.2% $38

Getting Around

London

$101 4.3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 52.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

London

$58 2.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 27.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,323 in London and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65 in London vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

17:21 5:21 PM

6 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Barcelona 6,570 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,342 in London and $2,453 in Barcelona, so London is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% higher in London, 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: $1,323 in London versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $419 in London versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.