Cost of Living Comparison Between Swindon and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Swindon and Barcelona

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,488 in Swindon versus $2,476 in Barcelona.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,537 in Swindon versus $3,545 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,586 in Swindon versus $4,613 in Barcelona.

Monthly costs are close between Swindon and Barcelona; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swindon 82% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 £15.47

$18.74 €16.33

10.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 £47.27

$69.5 €60.6

-8.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 £8.20

$13.77 €12.00

-20.33%

Cappuccino

$4.96 £3.70

$3.10 €2.70

60.00%

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

$2.72 £2.03

$2.83 €2.47

-3.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.88 €1.64

-13.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 £4.11

$3.98 €3.47

38.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 £3.48

$4.53 €3.95

2.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.27 €1.11

23.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.30

$2.16 €1.88

-18.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 £1.38

$1.76 €1.53

5.11%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.30

$5.13 €4.47

-14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 £6.32

$17.88 €15.59

-52.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 £6.69

$9.65 €8.41

-7.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.12 £9.81

$20.15 €17.56

-34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.26

$3.25 €2.84

-6.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$2.23 €1.94

-17.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 £1.97

$2.60 €2.27

1.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 £3.15

$2.76 €2.40

52.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 £1.56

$2.21 €1.93

-5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 £1.11

$2.12 €1.85

-29.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.97

$1.55 €1.35

-16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.35

$0.95 €0.83

90.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.31 £17.42

$7.34 €6.40

217.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 £7.92

$8.05 €7.01

31.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 £2.10

$1.54 €1.35

82.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 £2.67

$2.79 €2.43

28.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 £2.44

$3.11 €2.71

4.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.7 £68.6

$25.86 €22.54

254.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 £2.58

$3.27 €2.85

5.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.48 €1.29

10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.00 £16.44

$34.27 €29.88

-35.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.73 €1.51

19.08%

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

$38.8K £29.0K

$36.4K €31.7K

6.76%

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

$40.6K £30.3K

$30.5K €26.6K

32.88%

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

$324 £242

$187 €163

73.10%

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

$16.38 £12.24

$15.14 €13.20

8.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.69 £29.66

$37.69 €32.85

5.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.74 £28.20

$55.9 €48.76

-32.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.28 £17.40

$17.08 €14.89

36.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.09 £10.53

$11.41 €9.95

23.49%

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

$1,236 £924

$997 €869

24.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,579 £4,169

$16.5K €14.4K

-66.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 £67.1

$92.6 €80.8

-3.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.05 £33.66

$41.22 €35.93

9.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 £63.5

$111 €96.9

-23.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 £66.3

$125 €109

-29.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 £925

$1,707 €1,488

-27.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 £844

$1,286 €1,121

-12.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,926 £1,439

$2,565 €2,236

-24.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 £1,331

$1,942 €1,693

-8.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 £1,984

$7,647 €6,666

-65.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,146 £2,351

$5,167 €4,504

-39.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,988 £2,233

$2,348 €2,047

27.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

3.16

54.11%

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

Last update for Swindon: September 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,238 in Swindon and $1,707 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swindon pays 27% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63.0 in Swindon vs $69.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $336 per month, with Swindon cheaper across the board.

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

Swindon vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 27% higher in Swindon, 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: $1,238 in Swindon versus $1,707 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,236 in Swindon versus $997 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $63.0 in Swindon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,476 in Barcelona versus $2,488 in Swindon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Swindon. 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, Swindon 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.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Swindon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.