Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Slough and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,900 in Slough, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Slough, United Kingdom
Barcelona, Spain
Slough
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,900
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,900 in Slough versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

  • Slough $2,900
  • Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Slough versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

  • Slough $4,194
  • Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,488 in Slough versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

  • Slough $5,488
  • Barcelona $4,564

Living in Slough is roughly 18% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Slough 113% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Slough
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.10 £17.99
$17.59 €15.75
37.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.2 £60.6
$67.5 €60.5
20.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.25 £7.65
$13.53 €12.12
-24.24%
Cappuccino
$4.98 £3.72
$3.19 €2.86
56.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 £2.15
$2.91 €2.61
-1.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 £1.58
$1.89 €1.70
11.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.48 £4.83
$4.01 €3.59
61.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.47 £4.83
$4.53 €4.06
42.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Slough
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 £1.38
$1.31 €1.17
40.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.48 £1.11
$2.02 €1.81
-26.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.95 £2.20
$1.85 €1.66
59.46%
Eggs
$3.61 £2.70
$4.83 €4.33
-25.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 £8.29
$16.74 €14.99
-33.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.61 £6.43
$9.12 €8.17
-5.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.52 £9.35
$19.64 €17.59
-36.25%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 £2.28
$2.98 €2.67
2.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 £1.15
$2.02 €1.81
-23.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.97 £2.22
$2.70 €2.42
10.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.22 £2.41
$2.80 €2.51
15.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.63 £1.97
$2.09 €1.87
25.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 £0.97
$2.07 €1.85
-37.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 £0.81
$1.46 €1.31
-26.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 £1.09
$0.94 €0.84
55.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.74 £17.73
$6.87 €6.15
245.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.39 £10.00
$7.89 €7.06
69.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 £1.69
$1.41 €1.26
60.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 £2.04
$2.54 €2.27
7.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Slough
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.90 £2.91
$3.14 €2.82
24.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$239 £178
$25.45 €22.79
838.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.77 £5.06
$2.99 €2.68
126.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.57 £3.41
$1.49 €1.34
206.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.51 £29.50
$33.37 €29.89
18.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 £1.52
$1.80 €1.61
12.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K £29.1K
$33.2K €29.7K
17.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K £29.9K
$31.7K €28.4K
26.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Slough
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$311 £232
$180 €162
72.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.97 £15.66
$13.84 €12.39
51.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.07 £33.65
$33.70 €30.18
33.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Slough
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.57 £31.04
$51.5 €46.13
-19.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.45 £6.31
$15.96 €14.29
-47.06%
Cinema Ticket
$13.09 £9.77
$10.99 €9.85
19.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Slough
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,750 £1,307
$917 €821
90.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.1K £18.0K
$16.5K €14.8K
46.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Slough
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.4 £51.8
$87.0 €77.9
-20.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.0 £50.8
$38.51 €34.49
76.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 £84.9
$106 €94.8
7.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 £81.3
$120 €107
-9.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Slough
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 £1,266
$1,699 €1,522
-0.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,358 £1,014
$1,355 €1,214
0.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,903 £2,168
$2,603 €2,331
11.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,204 £1,646
$2,062 €1,847
6.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.8K £13.3K
$6,915 €6,193
156.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$13.0K £9,742
$5,128 €4,592
154.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Slough
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,377 £2,521
$2,211 €1,980
52.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
3.28
52.44%

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

Last update for Slough: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Slough
$1.4K
Barcelona
$1.4K 0.2% $2.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Slough
$377
Barcelona
$228 39.6% $149
Eating Out
Slough
$349
Barcelona
$268 23.1% $81
Groceries & Markets
Slough
$302
Barcelona
$322 6.7% $20
Getting Around
Slough
$284
Barcelona
$48 82.9% $236
Clothing & Footwear
Slough
$162
Barcelona
$158 2.5% $4
Sport & Entertainment
Slough
$68
Barcelona
$74 8.5% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Slough and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Slough pays 53% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Slough vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $322, with Slough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Slough
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
00:06 12:06 AM
01:06 1:06 AM
1 h ahead of Slough
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
164,455
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 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Slough Barcelona 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Slough
  • 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
Slough vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Slough and in Barcelona?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,900 in Slough and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Slough or Barcelona?
Average pay runs 53% higher in Slough, 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 Slough and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Slough 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 Slough and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $1,750 in Slough 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?
Shoppers in Slough pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How does quality of life compare between Slough 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.
How do I decide between Slough and Barcelona?
It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Slough on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Slough vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?