As the world continues to become more and more like the global village idealized by Marshall McLuhan, it’s increasingly common for people to move abroad. Whether you are moving for educational or professional reasons, or even just to experience life somewhere different, one of the most important things you should think about before you do so is the cost of living in your destination.
This will allow you to make a more informed decision, negotiate a more fitting salary with your potential employer abroad and just generally manage your money better. You can calculate your own monthly cost living in Barcelona by clicking directly on this link.
In addition to calculate your monthly budget, you can check the average prices listing of daily products like food, clothing, museums, utilities, housing by district, etc. So, if you’re moving to Barcelona, we have good news.
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Despite all its awesomeness, Barcelona is currently only the 142nd most expensive place in the world to live.
Photo via Pixabay
Now, when it comes to your personal monthly cost of life in Barcelona, that will depend on your choices when it comes to housing, bills, grocery shopping, public transportation, leisure and entertainment (well, for these last two some people only really need a pack of crisps and a Netflix subscription, don’t they?).
Location, location, location – just like anywhere else, a less stellar house in a great location will cost you more than a fantastic house far from the center of the city. For a compromise, seek to stay in neighbourhoods like Les Corts, Eixample or Sagrada Familia. These are still somewhat well located and offer average rents.
Photo via Freepik
Whether you are looking for a short-term, monthly or yearly rental, ShBarcelona has what you’re looking for. The website is pretty easy to navigate, so browse through the different neighbourhoods, try different specifications and you should get a good idea of how much it would cost to fulfil your specific housing needs.
Standard utilities (water, electricity, gas and heating) will cost you an average of 70€ a month. Add in the cheapest internet (38€) and a basic mobile phone subscription (10€) and you’re looking at a monthly cost of about 120€ in this department. Not too bad, right?
Check out ShBarcelona’s rentals
For a single person, the monthly cost will be around 150€ if you buy from discount supermarkets like Spar and around 200€ if you go to more expensive stores such as El Corte Inglés or Carrefour.
Photo via Pixabay
Single tickets cost 2,40€ and are valid for all forms of transport – metro, trams, buses, and trains. You can also buy a 10-journey pass (T-Casual) for 11,35€ or a monthly pass (T-Usual) for 40€.
Other options for moving around are Bicing, the Barcelona public bike system (between 35 and 50€ per year, depending on the subscription you choose) and taxis (who charge an average of 13€ for an 8 km trip).
You have a lot of choices in this department, so you can easily adjust how much you want to indulge yourself, according to the state of your finances at the moment.
Photo by Magnus D via VisualHunt
Eating out around Barcelona isn’t exactly cheap, with the least expensive menus marked at 8-10€. A meal at a mid-range restaurant will cost you around 20€ per person, while fancier places will you charge between 30€ and 40€.
Related article: A Complete Guide on Rental Property Security Deposits
Cinema tickets cost between 6,50€ and 11€ in Barcelona. Theatre plays are quite a bit more expensive, with each person paying around 40€. There are always plenty of music festivals and concerts both in and outside Barcelona, with prices varying depending on performer and venue.
Photo via Pixabay
While a ticket to see a big name like Julio Iglesias might cost you over 100€, there are some alternative festivals where 4 days of camping and concerts won’t cost you more than 40€.
When it comes to clubbing, most Barcelona clubs ask for an entry fee of around 20€, which includes 1 drink.
Staying for a couple of months or more?
These are pretty much the most important factors to consider when it comes to calculating the cost of living in Barcelona.
Photo via Pixabay
Like everywhere else, being careful with your money and planning ahead (i.e grocery shopping for the whole month; deciding your meals in advance; buying a pass if you’re going to be using public transportation every day) is important to make sure you won’t run into any trouble.
Are you planning on moving to Barcelona soon?
Did you already know about the average cost of living in Barcelona, Spain?
Let us know everything using the comment box below!
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View Comments
Miguel,
Thank you for this post. My husband and I are planning to move to Barcelona in a few years, we want to live abroad because we can, because we love Barca and we want to expose our baby to life outside the states.
We have visited many times before and have been to a lot of the little hoods but I was wondering if there are suburb areas to live in that you can access the metros to get into the heart of life. We want to enroll our child in a school there and I’m not privy to whether the better schools are located in the city or outside the city. What are your thoughts?
Also, my husband and I will want to start looking for potential work. I am an interior designer and he is an operations manager at a brewery. What would you suggest is the best way to search job opportunities? Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks Miguel.