Cost of Living Comparison Between Stevenage and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Stevenage and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in Stevenage versus $2,316 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,815 in Stevenage versus $3,458 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,168 in Stevenage versus $4,601 in Barcelona.

Living in Stevenage is roughly 6% more expensive than in Barcelona, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stevenage 84% above, Barcelona 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.98 £20.16

$17.19 €15.07

56.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 £61.5

$70.7 €62.0

16.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 £8.19

$14.02 €12.30

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$3.45 £2.58

$2.78 €2.44

24.10%

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

$1.64 £1.23

$2.78 €2.44

-41.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$2.05 €1.79

-22.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 £4.10

$4.52 €3.96

21.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 £4.13

$4.67 €4.10

18.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.29 €1.13

44.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 £1.13

$2.14 €1.87

-29.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.93 €1.70

-34.72%

Eggs

$3.34 £2.49

$3.49 €3.06

-4.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.86 £8.87

$18.52 €16.24

-35.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 £5.75

$9.53 €8.36

-19.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 £7.98

$18.90 €16.57

-43.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 £2.81

$2.62 €2.30

43.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 £1.11

$2.34 €2.05

-36.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 £2.49

$2.08 €1.82

60.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 £1.95

$2.85 €2.50

-8.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 £0.68

$1.96 €1.72

-53.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 £1.04

$1.85 €1.62

-24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.53 €1.34

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 £0.75

$0.90 €0.79

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.25 £12.14

$6.77 €5.94

140.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.78 £8.06

$7.79 €6.83

38.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 £2.00

$1.38 €1.21

94.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 £2.65

$2.32 €2.04

52.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 £2.72

$3.00 €2.63

21.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 £70.1

$28.62 €25.10

227.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 £3.31

$4.58 €4.01

-3.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 £1.27

$2.13 €1.86

-20.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.56 £15.37

$29.55 €25.91

-30.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.80 €1.57

6.11%

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

$38.4K £28.7K

$38.5K €33.7K

-0.20%

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

$42.0K £31.4K

$33.3K €29.2K

26.15%

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

$236 £176

$185 €162

27.41%

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

$22.00 £16.44

$22.68 €19.89

-3.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.02 £26.92

$36.78 €32.25

-2.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 £42.27

$57.8 €50.7

-2.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.19 €18.58

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 £9.08

$10.83 €9.49

12.19%

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

$1,759 £1,315

$727 €637

142.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K £13.8K

$14.7K €12.9K

25.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 £73.6

$87.6 €76.8

12.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 £29.79

$37.37 €32.76

6.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.3 £46.53

$103 €90.5

-39.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.2 £68.2

$119 €104

-23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 £1,122

$1,560 €1,368

-3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 £890

$1,221 €1,071

-2.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,110 £2,324

$2,742 €2,404

13.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,439 £1,823

$1,992 €1,746

22.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,489 €6,567

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,207 €4,566

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,350 £2,503

$2,355 €2,064

42.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.6

3.39

65.19%

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

Last update for Stevenage: July 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: July 21, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,501 in Stevenage and $1,560 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stevenage pays 42% 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: $82.0 in Stevenage vs $71.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $276 vs $319, with Stevenage 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

Stevenage vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stevenage and Barcelona differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,462 vs $2,316 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Stevenage, 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: $1,501 in Stevenage versus $1,560 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,759 in Stevenage versus $727 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,316 in Barcelona versus $2,462 in Stevenage, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Stevenage. 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, Stevenage 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 6% less than in Stevenage. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.