Before making the decision to move to Spain, or more specifically to Barcelona, you should look at the cost of living in this country. In reality, even with all this information, it is quite hard to estimate how much your monthly cost of living will be. Finally, to have a little idea of how you need to earn to live comfortably in Barcelona, your salary should be around 2500€ to 3500€ a month per person (keep in mind that this is an average of the monthly salary in Barcelona and it’s going to vary from sector to sector). Cost of Living in BCN
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Housing
This category highly depends on where in Barcelona you want to live. Some neighborhoods are cheaper than others, especially is you get further away from the city center. Also, when you are planning your move, don’t forget that you might need to pay a 2-months deposit (this quantity might vary depending on the landlord) and/or the real estate service fee, in case you decided to use one.
Monthly Rent |
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Monthly Rent: room in a shared flat | 300-600 |
Monthly Rent: room in a student resident | 400-800 |
Apartment (1 bedroom) | 450€ – 1000€ |
Apartment (3 bedrooms) | 700€ – 1800€ |
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Bills
In Spain, there are two big companies that dominate this category: Gasnatural (for gas) and ENDESA (for electricity). In addition, some apartment’s rent come with all utilities include, sometimes even the internet included, to make it easier. Then when it comes to mobile phone and internet connection, you have so many companies to choose from, the most famous ones are: Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, Yoigo, and Lebara. We decided to not include the prices for phone contracts because it varies depending on your needs.
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water) for Normal Sized Apartment | 90€ – 170€ |
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | 0.1€ – 0.25€ |
Internet | 23.6€ – 48€ |
Hourly rate for cleaning help | 10€ – 15€ |
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Grocery Shopping
In Spain you have a good variety of supermarkets, it all depends on your location and your preferences: Mercadona, Carrefour, El Corte Inglés, Lidl, Bon Preu, Dia, Eroski, Caprabo, Spar, etc. Alternatively, you can find the multiple 24-hour Pakistani-owned “supermercados”, which stay open on Sundays.
Monthly Cost | 250€ – 400€ |
Essentials |
|
Loaf of White Bread (500 g) | 0.7€ – 2€ |
White Rice (1 kg) | 0.7€ – 1.2€ |
Eggs (12) | 1.2€ – 3€ |
Local Cheese (1 kg) | 6€ – 15€ |
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (1 kg) | 4.5€ – 7€ |
Ground Beef (1 kg) | 9€ – 15€ |
Fruit and Veggies |
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Apples (1 kg) | 1.2€ – 2.5€ |
Bananas (1 kg) | 1.25€ – 2€ |
Oranges (1 kg) | 1€ – 2€ |
Tomatoes (1 kg) | 0.9€ – 1.5€ |
Onion (1 kg) | 0.7€ – 1.6€ |
Lettuce (1 head) | 0.7€ – 1.5€ |
Drinks |
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Milk (regular, 1 liter) | 0.6€ -1€ |
Water (regular , 1.5 liters) | 0.3€ – 1€ |
Bottle of Wine (normal) | 4€ – 7€ |
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 0.7€ – 2€ |
Imported Beer (0.33 little bottle) | 0.9€ – 3€ |
Others |
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Pack of Cigarettes | 4.70€ – 5€ |
Cold medicine (1 box) | 4.54€ |
Antibiotics (1 box) | 4.77€ |
Daily newspaper |
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Sunday Edition | 2.5€ |
Saturday Edition | 1.8€ |
Weekday Edition | 1.4€ |
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Sports and Leisure
For most clubs you can find lists online to put your name on, to avoid paying the entry fee, but the catch is that you need to enter the club before 2 am.
Fitness | Range |
Gym’s monthly fee for 1 adult | 45€ – 90€ |
Entertainment | |
Cinema Ticket for 1 adult | 6€ – 12€ |
Theater Ticket for 1 adult | 12€ – 40€ |
Concert Ticket | 15€ – 50€ |
Nightclub Ticket (including 1 drink) | 12€ – 17€ |
Food |
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Mid-range Restaurant dinner for two | 30€ – 50€ |
Inexpensive Restaurant dinner for one | 10€ – 12€ |
McMeal at McDonalds | 6€ – 8€ |
Cocktail drink in downtown bar | 4€ – 10€ |
Cappuccino (regular) | 1.3€ – 2.5€ |
Coffee Expresso | 1.2€ – 1.6€ |
Water (0.33 liter bottle) | 0.5€ – 1.5€ |
Soda (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.2€ – 2.5€ |
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter glass) | 1.9€ – 3€ |
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 2€ – 3€ |
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Transportation
The multiple types of transport available to you in this city – metro, train, buses and trams – are unified, so you can use a single ticket and switch between them without additional costs for 75 mins.
Underground and bus (1 zone) | Range |
Single Ticket | 2,15 € |
Monthly Ticket | 52.75 € |
3-month Ticket (under 25) | 105 € |
3-month Ticket (normal) | 142 € |
10 trips Ticket | 9.95€ |
Bicing (bike service) |
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Yearly subscription | 47.15€ |
Taxi |
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Taxi Start | 2.1€ – 3€ |
Taxi 1 km | 1.1€ – 1.7€ |
Taxi Ride City Center – Airport | 25€ – 40€ |
Car |
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1 liter of gas | 1.05€ – 1.3€ |
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