What is the average rent in Barcelona?

A 1-bedroom apartment in Barcelona city centre costs approximately EUR 1,490 per month. Outside the centre, rent drops to EUR 1,153 (saving 23%). A 3-bedroom apartment in the centre costs around EUR 2,306.

Is Barcelona affordable to live in?

Barcelona is expensive by global standards. Groceries are expensive, restaurants are average, and local purchasing power is average. Workers in Spain earning EUR 50,000 gross take home approximately EUR 2,962 per month after tax.

🇪🇸 Spain · 2026

Cost of Living in Barcelona

Q: How expensive is Barcelona compared to the rest of Spain?

Barcelona ranks #172 out of 577 cities globally. It is 21.7% more expensive than the Spain average, based on 15 cities. The rent index is 34.8 and local purchasing power is 93.0.

21.7% above the Spain average

Ranked #172 of 577 cities · More expensive than 70.2% of cities worldwide

+21.7%

Cost of Living

+43.2%

Rent

+12.6%

Groceries

-4.5%

Purchasing Power

Compared to Spain average · See Spain ranking →

Rent Prices in Barcelona

Apartment	City Centre	Outside Centre	You Save
1-Bedroom	EUR 1,490/mo ≈ $1,671	EUR 1,153/mo ≈ $1,292	23%
3-Bedroom	EUR 2,306/mo ≈ $2,585	EUR 1,718/mo ≈ $1,926	26%

Numbeo · 2026-10-02

Prices of Goods & Services in Barcelona

Groceries

Item	Price	Sources
Apples (1kg)	EUR 2.00	1 source
Bread (500g)	EUR 1.20	1 source
Chicken (1kg)	EUR 6.50	1 source
Eggs (12)	EUR 2.10	1 source
Milk (1L)	EUR 0.95	1 source
Rice (1kg)	EUR 1.40	1 source
Water (1.5L)	EUR 0.50	1 source

Apples (1kg)

EUR 2.00

Bread (500g)

EUR 1.20

Chicken (1kg)

EUR 6.50

Eggs (12)

EUR 2.10

Milk (1L)

EUR 0.95

Rice (1kg)

EUR 1.40

Water (1.5L)

EUR 0.50

Restaurants

Item	Price	Sources
Draft beer (0.5L)	EUR 2.30	1 source
Cappuccino	EUR 2.00	1 source
McMeal	EUR 9.50	1 source
Cheap meal	EUR 15.40	1 source
Mid-range dinner (2 people)	EUR 70.00	1 source

Draft beer (0.5L)

EUR 2.30

Cappuccino

EUR 2.00

McMeal

EUR 9.50

Cheap meal

EUR 15.40

Mid-range dinner (2 people)

EUR 70.00

Leisure

Item	Price	Sources
Cinema ticket	EUR 10.40	1 source
Gym membership	EUR 55.00	1 source

Cinema ticket

EUR 10.40

Gym membership

EUR 55.00

Utilities

Item	Price	Sources
Electricity (85m² apt)	EUR 78.00	1 source
Garbage collection	EUR 12.00	1 source
Natural gas (85m² apt)	EUR 28.00	1 source
Internet (60 Mbps)	EUR 28.00	1 source
Water (85m² apt)	EUR 25.00	1 source

Electricity (85m² apt)

EUR 78.00

Garbage collection

EUR 12.00

Natural gas (85m² apt)

EUR 28.00

Internet (60 Mbps)

EUR 28.00

Water (85m² apt)

EUR 25.00

Transportation

Item	Price	Sources
Gasoline (1L)	EUR 1.46	1 source
Taxi per km	EUR 1.35	1 source
Taxi start	EUR 2.80	1 source
Monthly pass	EUR 22.80	1 source
Single ticket	EUR 2.90	1 source

Gasoline (1L)

EUR 1.46

Taxi per km

EUR 1.35

Taxi start

EUR 2.80

Monthly pass

EUR 22.80

Single ticket

EUR 2.90

Prices in local currency, cross-referenced from multiple independent sources. October 2026.

Multi-Source Comparison

★★★ High Confidence

Barcelona has a cost of living index of 47.6 (New York = 100, rent included), the average of 4 of 4 data sources.

47.6

Index

Sources

4.6

Gap between sources

Source Values (NYC = 100)

Numbeo

48.4

Expatistan

45.0

LivingCost

49.6

ShouldIMove price index

47.2

ShouldIMove price index: our own basket of real item prices plus rent.

Eurostat Validation (EU27 = 100) Gov. Data

Eurostat

100.1

Based on 93 country PLI x 1.076 city factor

View all 577 cities | Data last updated: 2026-03-18

Cost Indices

Cost of Living

+21.7% Very expensive

Rent

+43.2% Very expensive

Groceries

+12.6% Expensive

Restaurants

+7.3% Average

Purchasing Power

-4.5% Average

Living in Barcelona: What to Expect

Barcelona is expensive by global standards (ranked #172 of 577 cities). It is 21.7% more expensive than the Spain average, based on 15 cities.

Groceries are expensive and dining out is average. The best value is restaurants and the priciest is rent.

Workers in Spain earning EUR 50,000 gross take home EUR 2,962/month after tax (28.9% effective rate). See full Spain tax calculator →

Cost of Living in Barcelona

Rent Prices in Barcelona

Prices of Goods & Services in Barcelona

Groceries

Restaurants

Leisure

Utilities

Transportation

Multi-Source Comparison

Source Values (NYC = 100)

Cost Indices

Living in Barcelona: What to Expect

How Does Barcelona Compare?

Planning a Move to Barcelona?