Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shrewsbury, Shropshire and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Shrewsbury, Shropshire: $2,060 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
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Shrewsbury, Shropshire Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Shrewsbury, Shropshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,060

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,060 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Shrewsbury, Shropshire $2,060
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,922 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Shrewsbury, Shropshire $2,922
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,784 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Shrewsbury, Shropshire $3,784
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Shrewsbury, Shropshire costs roughly 13% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Shrewsbury, Shropshire 52% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 £14.91

$17.89 €15.92

11.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 £42.08

$66.2 €58.9

-15.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 £6.57

$13.69 €12.18

-36.01%

Cappuccino

$4.57 £3.43

$3.06 €2.72

49.35%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$3.07 €2.73

-2.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.94 €1.73

27.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.30 £3.98

$3.87 €3.44

36.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 £5.10

$4.61 €4.10

47.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.50

$1.30 €1.16

53.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 £1.79

$2.10 €1.87

13.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.83 €1.62

17.49%

Eggs

$4.09 £3.07

$4.62 €4.11

-11.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.95 £5.96

$17.36 €15.44

-54.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.81

$9.28 €8.25

-2.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 £7.02

$19.83 €17.64

-52.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 £1.56

$3.01 €2.68

-31.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 £0.96

$2.03 €1.81

-36.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 £1.87

$2.65 €2.36

-6.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$2.87 €2.55

-59.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$2.16 €1.92

-31.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 £0.80

$2.15 €1.91

-50.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 £0.71

$1.47 €1.31

-35.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 £0.90

$0.88 €0.79

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.97

$6.93 €6.16

245.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.07 £6.80

$7.83 €6.96

15.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 £1.97

$1.39 €1.24

88.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 £3.40

$2.63 €2.34

72.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 £2.15

$2.91 €2.59

-1.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 £68.7

$25.46 €22.64

259.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 £4.59

$3.00 €2.66

104.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.96 £2.97

$1.44 €1.28

175.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.86 €1.65

2.15%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$32.3K €28.8K

21.12%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$31.7K €28.2K

27.12%

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

$203 £152

$183 €163

10.81%

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

$23.89 £17.93

$13.61 €12.11

75.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 £29.87

$32.93 €29.29

20.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.8 £57.6

$54.7 €48.65

40.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.20 £9.91

$16.52 €14.70

-20.10%

Cinema Ticket

$15.15 £11.37

$11.23 €9.99

34.91%

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

$1,452 £1,090

$954 €849

52.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K £13.9K

$16.6K €14.8K

11.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 £45.74

$86.0 €76.5

-29.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.80 £35.11

$39.11 €34.78

19.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 £62.8

$104 €92.2

-19.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 £75.3

$119 €106

-15.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 £790

$1,695 €1,508

-37.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 £645

$1,276 €1,135

-32.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 £1,174

$2,576 €2,291

-39.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 £910

$1,922 €1,710

-36.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 £2,993

$7,281 €6,477

-45.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,948 £2,212

$5,010 €4,456

-41.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,434 £1,826

$2,227 €1,981

9.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

3.28

61.59%

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

Last update for Shrewsbury, Shropshire: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$859 41.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 48.5% $417

Eating Out

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$302 14.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 10.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$266 12.9%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 13.9% $37

Groceries & Markets

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$265 12.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 22.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$131 6.4%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 19.1% $25

Getting Around

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$129 6.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 63.3% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

$107 5.2%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 27.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,053 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shrewsbury, Shropshire pays 9% 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 $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $265 vs $325 per month, with Shrewsbury, Shropshire cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Shrewsbury, Shropshire

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:10 9:10 PM

22:10 10:10 PM

1 h ahead of Shrewsbury, Shropshire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,782

1,660,122

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Shrewsbury, Shropshire Barcelona 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shrewsbury, Shropshire
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

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

Shrewsbury, Shropshire and Barcelona differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,060 vs $2,381 including rent). Shrewsbury, Shropshire is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $1,053 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,452 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $954 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 $2,060 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire versus $2,381 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 16% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.