Cost of Living Comparison Between Nottingham and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Nottingham and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,264 in Nottingham versus $2,320 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,188 in Nottingham versus $3,426 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,112 in Nottingham versus $4,532 in Barcelona.

Living in Nottingham costs roughly 2% less than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nottingham 69% above, Barcelona 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.65 £15.37

$17.66 €15.46

16.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 £50.6

$69.7 €61.0

-2.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 £8.03

$14.16 €12.40

-23.80%

Cappuccino

$4.55 £3.39

$2.80 €2.45

62.50%

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

$2.50 £1.86

$2.81 €2.46

-11.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 £1.00

$2.06 €1.81

-34.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 £4.43

$4.60 €4.03

29.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.37 £4.74

$4.69 €4.11

35.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.30

$1.23 €1.08

42.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 £1.16

$2.03 €1.78

-23.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.98 €1.73

-26.77%

Eggs

$4.32 £3.22

$3.49 €3.05

23.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 £5.36

$18.33 €16.05

-60.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 £6.62

$9.83 €8.61

-9.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.05 £11.95

$19.13 €16.75

-16.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 £2.40

$2.73 €2.39

18.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 £1.62

$2.38 €2.09

-8.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 £3.09

$2.08 €1.82

99.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 £2.22

$2.75 €2.41

8.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.35

$1.96 €1.72

-7.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.79 €1.57

-17.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.48 €1.29

-15.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.20

$0.91 €0.80

76.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.65 £15.37

$7.13 €6.25

189.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 £9.86

$7.88 €6.90

68.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 £2.72

$1.38 €1.21

165.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 £3.56

$2.39 €2.09

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.15 £3.09

$3.01 €2.64

37.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.5 £71.1

$29.35 €25.71

225.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 £4.11

$4.36 €3.82

26.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 £1.12

$2.13 €1.86

-29.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.93 £17.07

$29.60 €25.93

-22.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.47

$1.82 €1.60

8.79%

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

$37.8K £28.2K

$37.9K €33.2K

-0.16%

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

$42.2K £31.4K

$32.4K €28.4K

30.29%

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

$253 £188

$189 €166

33.87%

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

$16.25 £12.10

$22.29 €19.52

-27.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.41 £30.83

$37.16 €32.55

11.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.25 £30.71

$58.0 €50.8

-28.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.84 £5.84

$20.66 €18.09

-62.05%

Cinema Ticket

$15.96 £11.89

$10.87 €9.52

46.83%

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

$1,766 £1,315

$706 €618

150.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K £17.1K

$14.9K €13.0K

54.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 £57.2

$89.4 €78.3

-14.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.0 £50.7

$36.60 €32.06

85.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 £74.7

$104 €91.1

-3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 £71.1

$119 €105

-19.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £919

$1,579 €1,383

-21.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 £692

$1,238 €1,084

-24.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,773 £1,320

$2,712 €2,375

-34.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 £1,035

$2,039 €1,786

-31.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,102 £3,054

$7,527 €6,592

-45.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,864 £3,621

$5,239 €4,588

-7.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,458 £2,574

$2,364 €2,070

46.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.39

74.04%

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

Last update for Nottingham: July 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,234 in Nottingham and $1,579 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nottingham pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Nottingham vs $70.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $320 per month, with Nottingham cheaper across the board.

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

Nottingham vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nottingham and Barcelona differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,264 vs $2,320 including rent). Nottingham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Nottingham, 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: $1,234 in Nottingham versus $1,579 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,766 in Nottingham versus $706 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,264 in Nottingham versus $2,320 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nottingham but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Nottingham 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, Nottingham 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 Nottingham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.