Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scunthorpe and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Scunthorpe: $2,096 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Scunthorpe
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,096
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,096 in Scunthorpe versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

  • Scunthorpe $2,096
  • Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,819 in Scunthorpe versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

  • Scunthorpe $2,819
  • Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,541 in Scunthorpe versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

  • Scunthorpe $3,541
  • Barcelona $4,431

Living in Scunthorpe costs roughly 12% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scunthorpe 55% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Scunthorpe
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.09 £9.82
$17.89 €15.92
-26.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.2 £66.9
$66.2 €58.9
34.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.45 £7.84
$13.69 €12.18
-23.67%
Cappuccino
$4.03 £3.03
$3.06 €2.72
31.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 £1.44
$3.07 €2.73
-37.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.22 £0.92
$1.94 €1.73
-37.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.18 £3.89
$3.87 €3.44
33.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.69 £5.02
$4.61 €4.10
45.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Scunthorpe
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 £1.09
$1.30 €1.16
12.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 £1.18
$2.10 €1.87
-24.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 £1.16
$1.83 €1.62
-15.30%
Eggs
$3.75 £2.81
$4.62 €4.11
-18.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.36 £4.02
$17.36 €15.44
-69.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.19 £3.89
$9.28 €8.25
-44.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.17 £5.38
$19.83 €17.64
-63.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.28 £1.71
$3.01 €2.68
-24.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.88 £1.41
$2.03 €1.81
-7.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$2.65 €2.36
-8.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.73 £3.55
$2.87 €2.55
64.81%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 £0.63
$2.16 €1.92
-61.11%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 £0.69
$2.15 €1.91
-57.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 £0.77
$1.47 €1.31
-30.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 £1.04
$0.88 €0.79
57.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.81 £13.36
$6.93 €6.16
157.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.22 £6.17
$7.83 €6.96
4.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.94 £2.95
$1.39 €1.24
183.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.70 £3.52
$2.63 €2.34
78.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Scunthorpe
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.64 £2.73
$2.91 €2.59
25.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.4 £72.3
$25.46 €22.64
278.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.49 £3.37
$3.00 €2.66
49.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.72 £2.04
$1.44 €1.28
88.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.01 £6.01
$33.20 €29.53
-75.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.10 £1.58
$1.86 €1.65
12.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.8K
$32.3K €28.8K
18.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.6K
$31.7K €28.2K
28.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Scunthorpe
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 £151
$183 €163
10.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.90 £12.68
$13.61 €12.11
24.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.68 £34.27
$32.93 €29.29
38.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Scunthorpe
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$95.1 £71.3
$54.7 €48.65
73.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$16.52 €14.70
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.73 £6.55
$11.23 €9.99
-22.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Scunthorpe
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,643 £1,232
$954 €849
72.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.4K £12.3K
$16.6K €14.8K
-1.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Scunthorpe
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.68 £29.77
$86.0 €76.5
-53.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.18 £15.14
$39.11 €34.78
-48.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.2 £57.9
$104 €92.2
-25.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.1 £58.6
$119 €106
-34.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Scunthorpe
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,216 £912
$1,695 €1,508
-28.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,015 £762
$1,276 €1,135
-20.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,284 £963
$2,576 €2,291
-50.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 £821
$1,922 €1,710
-43.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,464 £4,099
$7,281 €6,477
-24.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,050 £3,039
$5,010 €4,456
-19.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Scunthorpe
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,942 £1,457
$2,227 €1,981
-12.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.61
3.28
71.04%

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

Last update for Scunthorpe: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Scunthorpe
$1K
Barcelona
$1.3K 25.7% $261
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Scunthorpe
$264
Barcelona
$229 13.3% $35
Groceries & Markets
Scunthorpe
$242
Barcelona
$325 34.5% $83
Eating Out
Scunthorpe
$236
Barcelona
$270 14% $33
Getting Around
Scunthorpe
$129
Barcelona
$47 63.3% $82
Sport & Entertainment
Scunthorpe
$113
Barcelona
$77 31.4% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Scunthorpe
$97
Barcelona
$156 61.4% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,216 in Scunthorpe and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 15% 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: $89.0 in Scunthorpe vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $242 vs $325, with Scunthorpe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Scunthorpe
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
23:50 11:50 PM
00:50 12:50 AM
1 h ahead of Scunthorpe
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
81,576
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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Scunthorpe Barcelona 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Scunthorpe
  • 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
Scunthorpe vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Scunthorpe and in Barcelona?
Scunthorpe and Barcelona differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,096 vs $2,381 including rent). Scunthorpe 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 15% 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 Scunthorpe and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,216 in Scunthorpe 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 Scunthorpe and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $1,643 in Scunthorpe 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 34% 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 $2,096 in Scunthorpe versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Scunthorpe but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Scunthorpe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Scunthorpe 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 Scunthorpe or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Scunthorpe 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: Scunthorpe or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Scunthorpe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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