Cost of Living Comparison Between Slough and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Slough and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Slough versus $2,359 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,980 in Slough versus $3,498 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,271 in Slough versus $4,638 in Barcelona.

Living in Slough is roughly 14% more expensive than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Slough 102% above, Barcelona 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.51 £15.20

$17.15 €14.86

19.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 £66.5

$68.1 €58.9

31.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 £8.03

$13.64 €11.82

-20.53%

Cappuccino

$4.97 £3.68

$2.78 €2.41

78.78%

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

$2.95 £2.19

$2.82 €2.44

4.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 £1.73

$1.96 €1.70

18.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.20 £4.60

$4.43 €3.84

39.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.62 £4.91

$4.61 €3.99

43.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 £1.05

$1.27 €1.10

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £0.98

$2.13 €1.85

-37.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 £1.93

$1.99 €1.72

31.16%

Eggs

$3.38 £2.51

$3.37 €2.92

0.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.83 £7.28

$18.96 €16.42

-48.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 £5.96

$9.53 €8.26

-15.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 £9.65

$18.73 €16.22

-30.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.22

$2.65 €2.29

12.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.15

$2.35 €2.04

-34.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.14

$2.09 €1.81

38.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 £2.47

$2.73 €2.37

21.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 £1.06

$1.96 €1.70

-26.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.13

$1.81 €1.56

-15.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 £0.71

$1.51 €1.31

-36.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.09

$0.89 €0.77

65.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.78 £15.40

$6.78 €5.87

206.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.20 £6.82

$7.92 €6.86

16.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 £1.73

$1.37 €1.19

70.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.08

$2.40 €2.08

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.65 £4.19

$2.91 €2.52

94.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 £67.1

$28.66 €24.82

215.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 £4.60

$4.58 €3.96

35.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 £1.04

$2.04 €1.77

-31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.11 £11.20

$28.72 €24.87

-47.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.41

$1.82 €1.58

4.95%

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

$38.2K £28.3K

$39.3K €34.0K

-2.84%

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

$41.4K £30.7K

$32.5K €28.1K

27.55%

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

$294 £218

$187 €162

57.27%

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

$18.83 £13.96

$22.29 €19.30

-15.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.67 £29.40

$36.37 €31.50

9.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.13 £26.03

$57.5 €49.82

-38.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.36 £2.49

$20.74 €17.96

-83.80%

Cinema Ticket

$16.38 £12.14

$10.77 €9.33

52.09%

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

$1,930 £1,430

$725 €628

166.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K £16.6K

$15.2K €13.1K

47.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 £60.7

$87.9 €76.1

-6.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 £30.26

$36.81 €31.88

10.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 £68.5

$103 €89.6

-10.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.6 £73.8

$119 €103

-16.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,652 £1,225

$1,524 €1,319

8.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 £1,050

$1,227 €1,062

15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,045 £2,257

$2,727 €2,362

11.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,446 £1,813

$1,984 €1,718

23.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$26.7K £19.8K

$7,469 €6,468

257.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$20.4K £15.1K

$5,243 €4,541

289.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,901 £2,150

$2,393 €2,072

21.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

3.39

60.77%

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

Last update for Slough: July 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,652 in Slough and $1,524 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Slough pays 21% 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: $90.0 in Slough vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $319, with Slough cheaper for home cooking.

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

Slough vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Slough and Barcelona differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,689 vs $2,359 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Slough, 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: $1,652 in Slough versus $1,524 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,930 in Slough versus $725 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Slough pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,359 in Barcelona versus $2,689 in Slough, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Slough. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, Slough 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Slough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.