Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rugby and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Rugby: $2,353 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Rugby, United Kingdom
Barcelona, Spain
Rugby
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,353
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,353 in Rugby versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

  • Rugby $2,353
  • Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,513 in Rugby versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

  • Rugby $3,513
  • Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,673 in Rugby versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

  • Rugby $4,673
  • Barcelona $4,564

Living in Rugby costs roughly 4% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rugby 73% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rugby
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.95 £14.89
$17.59 €15.75
13.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.1 £59.8
$67.5 €60.5
18.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.38 £7.00
$13.53 €12.12
-30.67%
Cappuccino
$5.02 £3.75
$3.19 €2.86
57.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 £1.55
$2.91 €2.61
-28.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 £1.11
$1.89 €1.70
-21.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.13 £4.58
$4.01 €3.59
52.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.42 £4.79
$4.53 €4.06
41.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rugby
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 £1.28
$1.31 €1.17
31.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.82 £1.36
$2.02 €1.81
-9.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.62 £1.96
$1.85 €1.66
41.62%
Eggs
$3.93 £2.93
$4.83 €4.33
-18.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.35 £6.98
$16.74 €14.99
-44.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.92 £5.91
$9.12 €8.17
-13.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.17 £11.33
$19.64 €17.59
-22.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.58 £1.93
$2.98 €2.67
-13.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 £1.32
$2.02 €1.81
-12.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 £1.86
$2.70 €2.42
-7.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.13 £2.34
$2.80 €2.51
11.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.64 £1.23
$2.09 €1.87
-21.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.79 £1.34
$2.07 €1.85
-13.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 £0.97
$1.46 €1.31
-10.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 £1.23
$0.94 €0.84
74.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.48 £16.79
$6.87 €6.15
227.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.88 £8.87
$7.89 €7.06
50.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.74 £2.79
$1.41 €1.26
165.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 £2.43
$2.54 €2.27
27.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Rugby
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.60 £1.94
$3.14 €2.82
-17.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.6 £72.1
$25.45 €22.79
279.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.69 £3.50
$2.99 €2.68
56.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.61 £1.20
$1.49 €1.34
8.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.12 £18.01
$33.37 €29.89
-27.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 £1.51
$1.80 €1.61
12.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K £28.6K
$33.2K €29.7K
15.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.6K
$31.7K €28.4K
29.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rugby
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$269 £201
$180 €162
49.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.01 £14.94
$13.84 €12.39
44.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.65 £34.83
$33.70 €30.18
38.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rugby
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.7 £43.07
$51.5 €46.13
11.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.96 €14.29
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.92 £11.14
$10.99 €9.85
35.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rugby
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,617 £1,207
$917 €821
76.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K £16.6K
$16.5K €14.8K
35.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rugby
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 £78.3
$87.0 €77.9
20.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.48 £23.51
$38.51 €34.49
-18.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.6 £61.7
$106 €94.8
-21.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 £85.2
$120 €107
-4.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rugby
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,117 £834
$1,699 €1,522
-34.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,049 £783
$1,355 €1,214
-22.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,799 £1,343
$2,603 €2,331
-30.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,847 £1,379
$2,062 €1,847
-10.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,050 £3,771
$6,915 €6,193
-26.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,853 £2,877
$5,128 €4,592
-24.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rugby
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,564 £3,408
$2,211 €1,980
106.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.09
3.28
55.18%

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

Last update for Rugby: 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
Rugby
$1K
Barcelona
$1.4K 29.2% $307
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rugby
$336
Barcelona
$228 32.1% $108
Groceries & Markets
Rugby
$306
Barcelona
$322 5.1% $16
Eating Out
Rugby
$306
Barcelona
$268 12.4% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Rugby
$150
Barcelona
$158 5.4% $8.1
Getting Around
Rugby
$120
Barcelona
$48 59.5% $71
Sport & Entertainment
Rugby
$88
Barcelona
$74 16% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,117 in Rugby and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rugby pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $80 in Rugby vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $322, with Rugby cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Rugby
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
02:02 2:02 AM
03:02 3:02 AM
1 h ahead of Rugby
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
70,628
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Rugby Barcelona 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rugby
  • 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
Rugby vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Rugby and in Barcelona?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,353 in Rugby and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Rugby is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Rugby or Barcelona?
Average pay in Rugby is about 2.1 times higher, 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 Rugby and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,117 in Rugby versus $1,699 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 Rugby and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $1,617 in Rugby versus $917 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 5% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How does quality of life compare between Rugby 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.

Rugby vs other spots: cost of living compared

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