Cost of Living Comparison Between Shrewsbury, Shropshire and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Shrewsbury, Shropshire and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,061 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $2,495 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,969 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $3,550 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,876 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $4,605 in Barcelona.

Living in Shrewsbury, Shropshire costs roughly 17% less than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Shrewsbury, Shropshire 50% above, Barcelona 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £14.91

$18.39 €15.83

9.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 £41.77

$69.2 €59.6

-18.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 £6.42

$14.13 €12.16

-38.57%

Cappuccino

$4.47 £3.31

$3.13 €2.70

42.81%

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

$3.09 £2.29

$3.02 €2.60

2.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 £1.81

$1.96 €1.69

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 £4.09

$4.00 €3.44

38.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 £4.98

$4.76 €4.10

41.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.44

$1.25 €1.07

56.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 £1.81

$2.16 €1.86

12.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 £1.69

$1.69 €1.45

34.91%

Eggs

$4.12 £3.05

$4.93 €4.25

-16.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 £6.06

$17.88 €15.39

-54.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 £6.70

$9.61 €8.27

-5.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 £6.79

$19.34 €16.65

-52.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 £1.51

$3.24 €2.79

-37.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 £0.93

$2.18 €1.87

-42.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 £1.87

$2.67 €2.30

-5.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 £0.87

$2.77 €2.39

-57.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 £1.12

$2.21 €1.91

-31.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 £0.80

$2.19 €1.88

-50.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 £0.74

$1.52 €1.31

-34.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 £0.91

$0.92 €0.79

32.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.69 £17.52

$7.12 €6.13

232.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 £7.22

$8.14 €7.00

19.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 £1.98

$1.50 €1.29

78.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 £3.60

$2.78 €2.39

75.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.51 £1.86

$3.15 €2.71

-20.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 £71.4

$26.99 €23.24

257.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 £4.63

$3.25 €2.80

92.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.12 £3.05

$1.50 €1.29

174.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.89 €30.04

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.40

$1.75 €1.50

8.00%

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

$38.7K £28.6K

$36.7K €31.6K

5.51%

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

$40.8K £30.2K

$30.9K €26.6K

31.82%

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

$201 £149

$188 €162

7.27%

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

$23.67 £17.51

$15.44 €13.29

53.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.73 £30.13

$37.80 €32.54

7.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.6 £57.4

$57.2 €49.22

35.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 £10.19

$16.80 €14.46

-17.98%

Cinema Ticket

$15.87 £11.74

$11.58 €9.97

37.05%

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

$1,481 £1,096

$1,003 €863

47.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K £14.1K

$17.0K €14.6K

11.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.4 £44.69

$89.2 €76.8

-32.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.50 £35.14

$40.87 €35.18

16.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 £64.8

$110 €94.7

-20.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £75.3

$123 €106

-16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 £810

$1,673 €1,440

-34.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 £644

$1,331 €1,146

-34.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 £1,156

$2,596 €2,234

-39.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 £941

$1,950 €1,679

-34.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,058 £3,002

$7,573 €6,519

-46.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,069 £2,270

$5,370 €4,623

-42.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,491 £1,843

$2,402 €2,068

3.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

3.16

67.72%

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

Last update for Shrewsbury, Shropshire: September 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,095 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire and $1,673 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shrewsbury, Shropshire pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire vs $69.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $332 per month, with Shrewsbury, Shropshire 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

Shrewsbury, Shropshire vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shrewsbury, Shropshire and Barcelona differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,061 vs $2,495 including rent). Shrewsbury, Shropshire is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, 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: $1,095 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $1,673 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,481 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $1,003 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,061 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $2,495 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shrewsbury, Shropshire but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Shrewsbury, Shropshire 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, Shrewsbury, Shropshire 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 Shrewsbury, Shropshire gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.