How to save money in Barcelona

Barcelona is not a pricey city, but it isn’t exactly a cheap place to live. Renting a place to stay, buying the monthly groceries, using a TMB card… little by little the expenses accumulate and pretty soon you realize you may not have money for that dinner Friday night after all.

It’s important for people to learn how to manage their money and make wise choices, in order to allow some financial leeway to avoid having to count the pennies at the end of the month.

Here are some tips from ShBarcelona on how to save money while living in the city.

#1 Pedal

Using public transportation is already an economic solution, much cheaper than having a car. But if you find the monthly cost of theTMB card is making your wallet too light, you may want to consider using a bicycle.

Barcelona offers a service called Bicing in which you pay a yearly fee which allows you to collect a bicycle anywhere where there is a Bicing parking and use it for 30 minutes for free. If you happen to need more time, you can simply park your Bicing bicycle at one of the stops you find along the way and enter your information again to collect another one.

The service costs 47,16€ for one entire year of free bicycle using.

If you think it might be inconvenient to have to look for Bicing parkings when you have reached your destination, you can always use one of the various secondhand sales websites to buy a bike of your own. Segunda Mano, Loquo and Renuevo are some of the many online options.

#2 Bargain-hunt

There are dozens of supermarkets in Barcelona, each with its own weekly promotions. Sign up to receive their pamphlets so you can keep up to date with the prices. If you’re computer-savvy, you can also use the internet to check the promotions, using the following link.

Another good way to save when going to the supermarket is looking for products with the supermarket’s own brand. A lot of supermarkets have a great range of products to offer in this category, for a reduced price.

#3 Visit on Sundays

Many museums offer free entry on Sundays. MNAC, for example, should be visited on the first Sunday of the month. MUHBA, CCCB and Museu Marítim de Barcelona can be visited any Sunday after 15h. Museu de la Música, Museu Blau and Museu Picasso are free on the first Sunday of the month (full day) and the subsequent Sundays (after 15h).