Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oswestry and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Oswestry: $2,133 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Oswestry
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,133
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,133 in Oswestry versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

  • Oswestry $2,133
  • Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,753 in Oswestry versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

  • Oswestry $2,753
  • Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,373 in Oswestry versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

  • Oswestry $3,373
  • Barcelona $4,431

Living in Oswestry costs roughly 10% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oswestry 57% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oswestry
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.62 £10.97
$17.89 €15.92
-18.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.6 £49.97
$66.2 €58.9
0.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.77 £6.58
$13.69 €12.18
-35.94%
Cappuccino
$3.32 £2.49
$3.06 €2.72
8.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 £1.89
$3.07 €2.73
-17.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.94 €1.73
-17.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 £2.95
$3.87 €3.44
1.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.45 £3.34
$4.61 €4.10
-3.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oswestry
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.30 €1.16
10.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.59 £1.19
$2.10 €1.87
-24.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 £1.39
$1.83 €1.62
1.09%
Eggs
$4.01 £3.01
$4.62 €4.11
-13.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.49 £7.12
$17.36 €15.44
-45.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.56 £6.42
$9.28 €8.25
-7.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.28 £11.46
$19.83 €17.64
-22.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.11 £1.58
$3.01 €2.68
-29.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 £1.13
$2.03 €1.81
-25.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 £2.21
$2.65 €2.36
11.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.49 £2.62
$2.87 €2.55
21.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.55 £1.16
$2.16 €1.92
-28.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 £1.03
$2.15 €1.91
-36.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 £0.73
$1.47 €1.31
-34.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 £0.88
$0.88 €0.79
34.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.67 £15.51
$6.93 €6.16
198.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.77 £7.33
$7.83 €6.96
24.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.43 £1.82
$1.39 €1.24
74.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 £2.35
$2.63 €2.34
19.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Oswestry
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.07 £2.30
$2.91 €2.59
5.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.0 £73.6
$25.46 €22.64
285.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.45 £3.34
$3.00 €2.66
48.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 £1.10
$1.44 €1.28
1.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.49 £17.63
$33.20 €29.53
-29.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 £1.51
$1.86 €1.65
8.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K £25.0K
$32.3K €28.8K
3.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.7K
$31.7K €28.2K
29.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oswestry
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$247 £186
$183 €163
35.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.46 £12.35
$13.61 €12.11
20.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.96 £29.98
$32.93 €29.29
21.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oswestry
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 £34.52
$54.7 €48.65
-15.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$16.52 €14.70
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.21 £8.41
$11.23 €9.99
-0.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oswestry
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,261 £946
$954 €849
32.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.4K £15.3K
$16.6K €14.8K
22.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oswestry
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.5 £45.40
$86.0 €76.5
-29.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.75 £29.82
$39.11 €34.78
1.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$57.4 £43.05
$104 €92.2
-44.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.1 £60.8
$119 €106
-31.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oswestry
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,218 £914
$1,695 €1,508
-28.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,020 £765
$1,276 €1,135
-20.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 £761
$2,576 €2,291
-60.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$978 £733
$1,922 €1,710
-49.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,149 £3,863
$7,281 €6,477
-29.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,799 £2,850
$5,010 €4,456
-24.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oswestry
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,154 £1,616
$2,227 €1,981
-3.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.82
3.28
46.95%

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

Last update for Oswestry: 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
Oswestry
$1K
Barcelona
$1.3K 25.1% $256
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oswestry
$304
Barcelona
$229 24.5% $74
Groceries & Markets
Oswestry
$283
Barcelona
$325 14.8% $42
Eating Out
Oswestry
$228
Barcelona
$270 18.1% $41
Getting Around
Oswestry
$122
Barcelona
$47 61.2% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Oswestry
$107
Barcelona
$156 45.5% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Oswestry
$68
Barcelona
$77 12.8% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,218 in Oswestry and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 3% 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: $67.0 in Oswestry vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $325, with Oswestry cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Oswestry
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
22:16 10:16 PM
23:16 11:16 PM
1 h ahead of Oswestry
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
18,743
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oswestry Barcelona 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Oswestry
  • 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
Oswestry vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Oswestry and in Barcelona?
Oswestry and Barcelona differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($2,133 vs $2,381 including rent). Oswestry is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Oswestry and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,218 in Oswestry versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Oswestry and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $1,261 in Oswestry versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $2,133 in Oswestry versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Oswestry but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Oswestry the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Oswestry and Barcelona?
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.
Is Oswestry or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Oswestry 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.
Where should expats move: Oswestry or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Oswestry gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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