Cost of Living Comparison Between St Helens and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between St Helens and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,025 in St Helens versus $2,367 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,045 in St Helens versus $3,465 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,064 in St Helens versus $4,563 in Barcelona.

Living in St Helens costs roughly 14% less than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St Helens 51% above, Barcelona 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.64 £15.37

$17.58 €15.14

17.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 £60.7

$68.4 €58.9

18.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 £8.22

$14.06 €12.10

-21.55%

Cappuccino

$3.69 £2.75

$2.78 €2.39

32.73%

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

$2.93 £2.18

$2.80 €2.41

4.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.46

$2.06 €1.78

-4.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.11 £3.06

$4.46 €3.84

-7.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 £3.69

$4.61 €3.97

7.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 £0.99

$1.24 €1.07

7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 £1.35

$2.03 €1.75

-10.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.92 €1.65

5.73%

Eggs

$4.27 £3.18

$3.31 €2.85

29.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 £9.17

$18.43 €15.87

-33.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 £6.77

$9.49 €8.17

-4.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.96 £8.16

$19.16 €16.50

-42.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 £2.44

$2.64 €2.27

23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 £0.99

$2.45 €2.11

-45.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 £2.66

$2.12 €1.83

68.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 £2.72

$2.85 €2.45

28.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$2.04 €1.75

-5.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 £1.53

$1.85 €1.59

11.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.47 €1.27

-6.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 £1.00

$0.84 €0.73

59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.19 £15.04

$7.14 €6.15

182.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.35 £8.45

$7.88 €6.79

44.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 £1.98

$1.38 €1.19

92.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 £2.00

$2.31 €1.99

16.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 £2.15

$2.98 €2.57

-3.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £77.3

$29.26 €25.20

254.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 £2.50

$4.60 €3.96

-26.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 £1.43

$2.07 €1.78

-7.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.28 £12.12

$29.18 €25.13

-44.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.84 €1.58

8.15%

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

$26.7K £19.9K

$39.0K €33.6K

-31.63%

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

$34.0K £25.3K

$32.7K €28.2K

3.89%

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

$338 £252

$188 €162

79.82%

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

$15.92 £11.86

$22.93 €19.75

-30.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.63 £29.51

$36.71 €31.61

7.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.46 £20.45

$57.4 €49.41

-52.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.96 £2.95

$20.70 €17.82

-80.87%

Cinema Ticket

$16.49 £12.28

$11.19 €9.64

47.36%

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

$814 £606

$721 €621

12.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,810 £5,072

$15.0K €13.0K

-54.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.6 £49.62

$86.2 €74.2

-22.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 £41.07

$37.07 €31.92

48.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 £64.1

$102 €87.9

-15.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 £90.7

$116 €99.8

5.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 £604

$1,534 €1,321

-47.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 £502

$1,220 €1,051

-44.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 £1,142

$2,696 €2,321

-43.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 £961

$2,013 €1,734

-35.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,129 £3,820

$7,220 €6,217

-28.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 £1,767

$5,189 €4,468

-54.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,507 £1,867

$2,359 €2,032

6.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

3.39

63.42%

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

Last update for St Helens: May 30, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $810 in St Helens and $1,534 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St Helens pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in St Helens vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $318, with St Helens 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

St Helens vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St Helens and Barcelona differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,025 vs $2,367 including rent). St Helens is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

St Helens pays 6% more on average, 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: $810 in St Helens versus $1,534 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $814 in St Helens versus $721 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,025 in St Helens versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in St Helens but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes St Helens 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, St Helens 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 St Helens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.