Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swindon and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,768 in Swindon, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Swindon
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Swindon Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Swindon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,768

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,768 in Swindon versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Swindon $2,768
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,814 in Swindon versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Swindon $3,814
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,861 in Swindon versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Swindon $4,861
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Swindon is roughly 13% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swindon 103% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 £15.14

$17.59 €15.76

15.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.0 £47.07

$67.5 €60.5

-6.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 £8.01

$13.53 €12.12

-20.77%

Cappuccino

$4.79 £3.58

$3.19 €2.86

50.16%

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

$3.12 £2.33

$2.91 €2.61

7.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.89 €1.70

-15.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 £4.27

$4.01 €3.59

42.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 £3.45

$4.53 €4.06

1.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.31 €1.17

27.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 £1.46

$2.02 €1.81

-2.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.85 €1.66

1.08%

Eggs

$4.49 £3.35

$4.83 €4.33

-7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.48 £7.08

$16.74 €15.00

-43.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 £6.86

$9.12 €8.17

0.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 £10.80

$19.64 €17.60

-26.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.32

$2.98 €2.67

4.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 £1.84

$2.02 €1.81

22.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 £3.05

$2.70 €2.42

51.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 £3.17

$2.80 €2.51

51.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.51

$2.09 €1.87

-3.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$2.07 €1.85

-16.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.46 €1.31

34.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 £1.28

$0.94 €0.84

82.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.34 £17.44

$6.87 €6.16

239.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 £11.41

$7.89 €7.07

93.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.86 £2.88

$1.41 €1.26

173.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 £2.86

$2.54 €2.27

50.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.09 £3.06

$3.14 €2.82

30.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.9 £73.9

$25.45 €22.80

288.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 £5.07

$2.99 €2.68

127.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.49 €1.34

13.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.54 £16.09

$33.37 €29.91

-35.45%

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 £29.2K

$33.2K €29.7K

17.59%

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

$40.8K £30.5K

$31.7K €28.4K

28.76%

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

$636 £475

$180 €162

252.47%

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

$16.23 £12.12

$13.84 €12.40

17.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.50 £33.25

$33.70 €30.20

32.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.18 £25.54

$51.5 €46.16

-33.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.11 £17.26

$15.96 €14.30

44.80%

Cinema Ticket

$17.61 £13.16

$10.99 €9.85

60.24%

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

$1,966 £1,469

$917 €821

114.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,376 £4,016

$16.5K €14.8K

-67.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 £66.5

$87.0 €78.0

2.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.92 £32.81

$38.51 €34.51

14.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 £61.1

$106 €94.8

-22.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 £63.9

$120 €107

-28.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 £943

$1,699 €1,523

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 £811

$1,355 €1,214

-19.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,027 £1,515

$2,603 €2,332

-22.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 £1,268

$2,062 €1,848

-17.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,289 £3,951

$6,915 €6,196

-23.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,741 £2,795

$5,128 €4,595

-27.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,969 £2,218

$2,211 €1,981

34.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.59

3.28

70.43%

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

Last update for Swindon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Swindon

$1.1K 39.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 24.9% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swindon

$697 25.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 67.3% $469

Groceries & Markets

Swindon

$343 12.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 6.1% $21

Eating Out

Swindon

$309 11.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 13.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Swindon

$135 4.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 16.9% $23

Getting Around

Swindon

$131 4.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 62.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Swindon

$69 2.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 5.9% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,262 in Swindon and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swindon pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Swindon vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $343 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Swindon

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

05:03 5:03 AM

1 h ahead of Swindon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,638

1,660,122

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Swindon Barcelona 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Swindon
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

Swindon vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,768 in Swindon and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% 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: $1,262 in Swindon versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,966 in Swindon versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Swindon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

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.