Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Peterborough and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Peterborough: $2,176 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Peterborough
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,176
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,399
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,176 in Peterborough versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

  • Peterborough $2,176
  • Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,065 in Peterborough versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

  • Peterborough $3,065
  • Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,953 in Peterborough versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

  • Peterborough $3,953
  • Barcelona $4,421

Living in Peterborough costs roughly 9% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Peterborough 61% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Peterborough
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.14 £15.11
$17.94 €15.96
12.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$92.9 £69.7
$68.1 €60.5
36.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.39 £7.79
$13.28 €11.81
-21.76%
Cappuccino
$4.37 £3.28
$3.25 €2.89
34.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 £1.52
$3.01 €2.67
-32.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 £0.87
$1.87 €1.66
-37.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.44 £4.83
$3.85 €3.42
67.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.70 £5.03
$4.48 €3.98
49.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Peterborough
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 £1.26
$1.29 €1.15
30.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 £1.03
$2.04 €1.81
-32.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 £1.15
$1.72 €1.53
-11.05%
Eggs
$3.60 £2.70
$4.77 €4.24
-24.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.20 £6.90
$16.77 €14.92
-45.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.82 £6.62
$8.93 €7.94
-1.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.74 £8.06
$19.88 €17.68
-45.98%
Apples (1kg)
$3.18 £2.38
$2.98 €2.65
6.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 £0.92
$2.03 €1.80
-39.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 £1.24
$2.73 €2.43
-39.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.19 £2.39
$2.68 €2.38
19.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 £0.98
$2.10 €1.87
-38.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 £0.94
$2.08 €1.85
-39.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 £0.66
$1.45 €1.29
-40.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 £1.00
$0.89 €0.79
49.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.68 £17.77
$6.94 €6.17
241.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.50 £7.88
$7.78 €6.92
34.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.62 £1.96
$1.45 €1.29
80.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 £2.75
$2.57 €2.29
42.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Peterborough
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.60 £1.95
$2.99 €2.66
-13.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$114 £85.6
$25.20 €22.41
352.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.30 £4.72
$3.12 €2.77
101.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.44 €1.28
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$33.50 €29.80
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 £1.47
$1.79 €1.59
9.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.7K
$34.6K €30.8K
10.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.6K
$30.1K €26.7K
35.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Peterborough
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$242 £182
$178 €158
36.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.52 £13.14
$13.32 €11.85
31.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.79 £29.10
$34.88 €31.03
11.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Peterborough
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.28 £28.72
$53.3 €47.37
-28.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.99 £18.00
$16.01 €14.24
49.84%
Cinema Ticket
$15.92 £11.94
$11.06 €9.84
43.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Peterborough
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$929 £697
$957 €851
-2.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.2K £15.9K
$16.6K €14.7K
27.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Peterborough
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.10 £18.08
$88.2 €78.4
-72.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.41 £19.06
$39.49 €35.12
-35.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.4 £72.3
$103 €91.5
-6.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.3 £65.5
$121 €108
-28.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Peterborough
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 £822
$1,653 €1,470
-33.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,000 £751
$1,302 €1,158
-23.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,761 £1,321
$2,557 €2,275
-31.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,278 £959
$1,915 €1,703
-33.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,875 £2,907
$7,286 €6,481
-46.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,170 £2,378
$5,080 €4,519
-37.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Peterborough
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,795 £2,097
$2,281 €2,029
22.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.88
3.28
48.78%

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

Last update for Peterborough: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Peterborough
$1K
Barcelona
$1.3K 30.1% $301
Eating Out
Peterborough
$303
Barcelona
$270 10.9% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Peterborough
$299
Barcelona
$226 24.3% $73
Groceries & Markets
Peterborough
$268
Barcelona
$320 19.4% $52
Getting Around
Peterborough
$131 *
Barcelona
$47 63.7% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Peterborough
$105
Barcelona
$158 50.9% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Peterborough
$70
Barcelona
$75 7.5% $5.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,095 in Peterborough and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Peterborough pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $93.0 in Peterborough vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $320, with Peterborough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Peterborough
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
04:42 4:42 AM
05:42 5:42 AM
1 h ahead of Peterborough
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,600
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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Peterborough Barcelona 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Peterborough
  • 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
Peterborough vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Peterborough and in Barcelona?
Peterborough and Barcelona differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,176 vs $2,399 including rent). Peterborough is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Peterborough or Barcelona?
Average pay runs 23% higher in Peterborough, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Peterborough and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,095 in Peterborough versus $1,653 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 Peterborough and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $929 in Peterborough versus $957 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 19% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,176 in Peterborough versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Peterborough but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Peterborough the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Peterborough 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 Peterborough or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Peterborough 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: Peterborough or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Peterborough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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