Cost of Living · GB vs ES
🇬🇧 London vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,037 in United Kingdom vs $1,382 in Spain — 32.15% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -35.68%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -35.68%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -35.68%
Closest to United Kingdom prices
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -11.84%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -11.85%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -11.87%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | United Kingdom | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,447 | $931 (860 EUR) | -35.68% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,158 | $745 (688 EUR) | -35.68% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,646 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | -35.68% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $15.50 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | -29.29% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $64.59 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | -29.29% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $9.60 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | -26.98% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.99 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | -22.22% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.87 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | -22.3% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $3.05 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | -22.3% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.97 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | -22.3% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.59 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | -22.28% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.31 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | -22.27% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $10.76 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | -22.21% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.79 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | -22.35% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $5.17 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | -29.4% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.58 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | -11.87% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $4.31 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | -29.47% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.06 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | -22.33% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $56.75 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | -27.03% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.40 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | -27.08% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.44 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | -29.07% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.55 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | -29.03% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.90 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | -12.22% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $175 | $127 (118 EUR) | -27.03% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $61.11 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | -27.03% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $39.28 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | -27.01% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $43.06 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | -29.28% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $12.06 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | -29.35% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $25.84 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | -29.3% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $52.09 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | -11.84% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $85.24 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | -11.85% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $215 | $152 (141 EUR) | -29.3% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Spain than United Kingdom?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $2,037 in United Kingdom — 32.15% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $5.17 in United Kingdom.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to United Kingdom?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $1,447/month in United Kingdom (-35.68%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.