COST OF LIVING IN BARCELONA

One of the main questions everyone asks is about the cost of living in Barcelona. Questions like:

  • “How much is rent for a room or a 2 bedroom flat?”
  • “How much will I have to pay for bills per month?”
  • “What is the average price of a 3 meal course in a restaurant?”

Of course many of the answers to the questions will be : “depends on”, but we will try to give you a general idea of what to expect when you move to Barcelona.

Rent: The price of renting a flat or home depends on several factors such as the neighborhoods and how far they situated from the city center and if the flat is in the city or outside the city, the number of bedrooms, the condition of the flat and the building, if it is furnished or unfurnished, the type of fitting-up, etc. To give you an approximate idea –  for a 1 or 2 bedroom flat in Barcelona you will pay between €900 and €1200, for the same flat outside the price will be between 150 – 250 euros lower

Utilities (including gas, electricity, water and home phone line): Once again, it will depend on many factors, but for a 60 – 70 m2 flat a single person should not have to pay more than 100 Euros. Traditionally in Spain, there have always been the two main utility companies – Gasnatural (for gas) and ENDESA (for electricity) and most people stuck with them. Over the last few years, however, other billing providers have emerged that offer more competitive rates for utilities, so it might be worth shopping around if you think you are paying too much. TIP: Also verify whether your consumption rate (called “potencia”) is set correctly. Some people have the potencia set higher than what is required for their consumption, resulting in higher bills.

Home internet can be contracted for around 35 euros per month, including free national phone calls. There is a lot of competition in this industry, so shop around for the best deal, especially if you want to combine your home internet package with a mobile phone contract.

COST OF LIVING IN BARCELONAGrocery shopping: The most famous grocery shopping chains are Eroski, Caprabo, Consum, Mercadona, Dia, Veritas and Sorli Discau. All around the city you will also find the famous Pakistani-owned “supermercados” (they will be the only ones you will find open on Sundays) and many small vegetable and fruit stores.

So what prices to expect when speaking about grocery shopping?

  • Milk – between 0,90 and 1 euro.COST OF LIVING IN BARCELONA COST OF LIVING IN BARCELONA
  • Bread – depending on the type it can vary between 1 and 3 euros
  • Eggs – the price of a dozen vary between 1,50 – 2 euros. Depending on the quality of the product some of the brands might reach 4-5 euros
  • Potatoes – 1 kilogram is around – 1 euro to 1,50 euros
  • Tomatoes – 1 kilogram is about 1 euro.
  • Apples – depending on the model J can vary between 1 and 2 euros
  • Lettuce – 0.90 – 1-20 euros per 1 head, cut and washed – 1,30 – 3 euros (depending on brand and rations)
  • Beer – depending if it is domestic or imported can vary between 0,60 and 2 euros

On average you can expect to pay around 250 euros per month on groceries. Obviously shopping at DIA or Lidl will make things cheaper for you.

Transportation:

  • 1 trip ticket for the public transportation is 2.40 euros.
  • T-casual – which includes 10 trips is 11.35 euros
  • T-usual – one month ticket is 40 euros. For more information about the tariffs of the public transportation check here
  • A taxi ride per km – the average price is between 0.90 and 1.10 euros plus an initial rate of 2.50 – 3 euros. A taxi from city center to the airport is 25-35 euros.
  • Price of the gasoline 95 is around €1.76 (Nov 2022)
  • Bicing – 50 euros per year. Keep in mind you can only register for the card if you have a NIE.


Restaurants:

  • A 3 course meal in an average restaurant is around 25 – 30 euros
  • A meal is around 9 – 15 euros
  • Many restaurants offer a special lunch promotion (called “menu del día”) – which includes 3 plates, desert and a drink for a price between 9 and 15 euros
  • A coke in a restaurant is usually around 1,70 – 2,00 euros and a water between 1,30 -1.70 euros
  • A beer between 2,50 – 3,50 euros
  • Coffee or espresso – 1,20 – 1,60 euros


Free time:

  • Cinemas – a ticket for a cinema can vary between 7 and 12 euros, depending on the projection and whether it is 3D or not.
  • Fitness – a monthly fee for 1 person is between 45 and 60 euros (have in mind that most clubs have also an initial subscription fee)
  • Clubbing – Most clubs have a cover charge of around €15-20 that includes 1 drink. After the first drink it can be pretty expensive to buy drinks in the club, so it´s recommended to drink somewhere cheaply before hitting the club


Clothing: Barcelona and Spain are famous to be the home of brands like Zara, Mango, and Bershka and in general buying clothes in Spain is cheaper for example than UK. 

Woman’s cloths: For example you can find a pair of jeans for even less than 30 euros. Summer dresses vary between 30 and 60 euros, while the winter ones are a little bit more expensive and could reach 50 – 80 euros. A pair of shoes for the summer can be found for 30 – 40 euros or even less depending on the brand and the store. For the winter you can easily find a nice coat for 70-90 euros.

Men’s clothes: If you’re a business professional, a complete suit with tie, belt and shoes should not cost you more than 250 Euros if you’re buying from Zara, H & M or Bershka.  Shoes are generally quite fairly priced, and brand name training shoes are more or less the same price as anywhere else in Europe.

A cozy, stylish winter coat will cost you between 150-200 Euros, although the brand names are obviously quite a bit more expensive. Just as with women’s clothing, there are always sales to look out for, and the “Outlet” stores sell the previous year’s clothing at a much lower price, and often many of the items are still quite fashionable.