Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Barcelona 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Barcelona are 3.9% higher than in Madrid (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Barcelona are 3.6% higher than in Madrid
Rent Prices in Barcelona are 3.0% higher than in Madrid
Restaurant Prices in Barcelona are 3.2% higher than in Madrid
Groceries Prices in Barcelona are 0.7% lower than in Madrid
Local Purchasing Power in Barcelona is 21.9% lower than in Madrid
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 14.00 € 15.00 €      +7.1 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 60.00 € 60.00 €      0.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 9.00 € 10.00 €      +11.1 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 3.48 € 3.00 €      -13.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.50 € 3.50 €      0.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 2.32 € 2.26 €      -2.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.38 € 2.28 €      -4.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1.54 € 1.64 €      +6.7 %
Markets
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.03 € 4.05 €      +0.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1.32 € 1.36 €      +2.6 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 0.66 € 0.66 €      +0.7 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 2.78 € 2.91 €      +4.8 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.86 € 5.70 €      -2.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 3.42 € 3.72 €      +8.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 6.16 € 6.12 €      -0.6 %
Apples (1 lb) 1.01 € 0.93 €      -8.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.80 € 0.78 €      -2.9 %
Oranges (1 lb) 0.81 € 0.77 €      -5.5 %
Tomato (1 lb) 1.04 € 1.08 €      +3.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 0.62 € 0.72 €      +15.5 %
Onion (1 lb) 0.67 € 0.72 €      +7.5 %
Lettuce (1 head) 1.21 € 1.07 €      -11.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 0.88 € 0.76 €      -13.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 6.00 € 6.00 €      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.14 € 1.14 €      -0.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 1.80 € 1.60 €      -11.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 5.62 € 5.13 €      -8.7 %
Transportation
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.50 € 2.40 €      +60.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 40.00 € 26.25 €      -34.4 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 € 3.00 €      0.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 1.93 € 3.38 €      +75.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 22.00 € 24.68 €      +12.2 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 6.22 € 6.31 €      +1.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 33,365.00 € 30,000.00 €      -10.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,619.74 € 25,600.00 €      -7.3 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 138.91 € 157.99 €      +13.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 13.73 € 16.79 €      +22.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 29.56 € 32.78 €      +10.9 %
Sports And Leisure
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 43.33 € 45.71 €      +5.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 9.80 € 22.00 €      +124.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 10.00 € 9.25 €      -7.5 %
Childcare
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 489.04 € 547.42 €      +11.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 9,061.90 € 11,043.20 €      +21.9 %
Clothing And Shoes
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 67.13 € 79.91 €      +19.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 27.32 € 30.43 €      +11.4 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 74.79 € 90.76 €      +21.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 81.70 € 104.38 €      +27.8 %
Rent Per Month
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,206.55 € 1,238.45 €      +2.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 880.64 € 944.44 €      +7.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,096.55 € 2,103.95 €      +0.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,495.87 € 1,561.52 €      +4.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 411.50 € 523.17 €      +27.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 236.31 € 353.30 €      +49.5 %
Salaries And Financing
Madrid Edit Barcelona Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 2,463.85 € 1,994.25 €      -19.1 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 2.48 3.54      +42.5 %
Last update: April 2024April 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:585389