Cost of Living in Barcelona

Having lived in Barcelona for the last 2 years and in Northern Europe for 11 years prior, a few considerations.

Barcelona is perfectly located on the Mediterranean, except for a couple of very hot summer months, the weather is sunny and mild and it's simply a great location climatwise. Also, despite the Catalans being a bit closed off, unless you come out with the topic of Independendence, people are friendly here, which is, with the sun, what I missed the most from the South. These are the main advantages of the city. One other thing, even if not experienced first hand is healthcare, which is tax subsidised and great quality.

Talking about the shortcomings, these unfortunately outnumber the good part:
- salaries are very low also for experienced workers, with many jobs in IT in the range of the 25k-30k per year gross
- living costs are ramping up, most likely due to rentals being out of control (a surge of almost 50% in the last 4 years was registered) and Airbnb allowing more speculation
- if you check official government stats, except for a few areas such as St Gervasi-Sarria, Pedralbes, Tibidado and some spots in the Eixample, 3/4 of the city report low incomes if not poverty (current poverty rate in Catalunya is almost 30%, which is appaling)
- petty crimes are a thing and the numbers ramp up every single year, making a large portion of the nicest areas risky to tread (Gotic, Raval, Barceloneta, Puerto Olimpico), there's an average of 200 crimes reported to police every hour (mugs, thefts, murders, burglaries)
- noisiest city in EU as for official sources and once you live here, you do believe it! from road traffic to the bar downstairs from you, going through the annoying Airbnb next door or the barking dogs, if you take into account that building insulation is non existent, you'll know what I mean
- job safety in Spain in general is a joke: employers are legally allowed to fire you with neither notice nor a valid reason, which means everyone can potentially be fired at any time, given that dismissal is easy and cheap ( I don't dare to guess what's gonna happen in the next financial crisis)
- looking for a qualified job once unemployed is horrible, sending dozens and hundreds of CVs without a response back and if you manage to get in touch with the recruiter, your salary expectations will be still too high (again, no city for qualified employees looking for a decent career and salary), you may get a job way quicker if you're a mobile/software dev/data scientist, however many of my friends are IT guys here and the salaries compared to Amsterdam or London are less than half of it (mind Amsterdam is about 40% more expensive than Bcn, however average salaries there are 100% higher)
- pollution is high and given it seldom rains, the air smells in many areas

Excuse the long checklist, but I hope my viewpoint as a non IT guy, middle class expat can give you some understanding. At the hand of the day I'm glad I came here to see that, as much as the weather makes it a lovely place, other downsides counterbalance it and that it's not the paradise on earth people expect it to be.

Do you live by the day, feel carefree about the future, don't mind a low salary and a lot of financial distress if you get sunny weather all year long? Or do you perhaps have the luck to work as a freelance for many clients that are Nordics based? In this case Bcn is a great option.

Do you need to plan things ahead, need financial and material stability to maintain mental sanity, do you plan on settling and buying a house of your own, build a family and have savings? If you rely on doing this with a Spanish contract, either you don't move here at all or you move for a couple of years (as @RealTalk suggests) and keep in mind you'll need to leave.

Since I moved here, I have enjoyed every ray of sunshine, however I've never felt so unstable in my life as here: in Northern Europe the weather is crap and people may be more closed off, however you never feel like your career/financial situation is too much at risk. There you feel like you can do better in life, which is something Bcn can't give you.

Best luck to you all!

Is 50K per year a good salary for a single person? not only to live but to have a quality life

Hi, my boyfriend and I are considering to move to Barcelona in one year from now. While he is native in Spanish and English I am still studying Spanish.Do I need to know Catalán as well?
I have 2 years of experience in Digital Marketing. Is this industry developed in Barcelona? Can I expect to find job easily in the field with competitive salary for Barcelona?

# John What a stupid question to ask.You must have alot of time on your hands.

Hello # JV Thought I'd chime in on your questions.I love Barcelona and Spain in general.Over the past two years Barcelona and most of Spain has become very dangerous because of many migrants being allowed to stay in Barcelona.Riots and protests are frequent, that's a shame.I lived in Barcelona for almost 14 years as a retired foreigner but I left in November 2018.Muggings and murders are frequent these days in beautiful Barcelona, sadly.I wouldn't recommend it honestly.$1,500 per month on rent will get you a nice two bedroom two bath flat.Stay out of the plaza at night even though it's normally crowded due to abductions and armed robberies.Anything South of the city is dangerous day or night.Dress down don't wear Ray Ban sunglasses or expensive jewelry avoid anyone that stops you on the street to chit chat.Eat where the locals normally eat and avoid touristy restaurants if possible.Hope this helped some have a safe trip.

To #REALTALK Your information is correct atleast somebody on here tells the true story.To the rest of you on here who don't have a clue figure this out.Look at how rapidly the Euro is declining and how many expats are pulling the pin getting out of Barcelona selling everything.That's a very good indication of the failing Euro.Spainards are in it to fleece money from foreigners no doubt.When Brexit finishes with the Eurozone it'll cease and desist.No money no honey no euro valuation.People in Barcelona are jerks towards foreigners, that's a given.REALTALK is right why post imaginary salaries that most likely don't exist? Asking what's a good salary is ideotic too especially since the Euro is so volitale,DUH!!!!!

Would the dum dums who keep posting about their obvious decent salary pleas go off-load their insecurities elsewhere!
Barcelona is shit for the long-term and ok for 1-2 years max.
Locals aren't too friendly as they see you as a cause of the cities many economical problems.
Salaries are awful, work hours long, rent is super high, apartments are cold as hell in winter time.
Good jobs are hard to come by and there is a surplus of MBA studenty and people with masters willing to work way below their usual fee demands.
The foo and weather is good but thats about it, these locals are so greedy. Don't believe me? just look at the many rental sites and you'll see a tiny room for 500 euro to share in an apt with 4-5 other people...lovely.
My advise is, come for a year or two and then go somewhere better for serious things like pensions, salaries, house prices that make sense etc.
And oh yeah...I forgot to mention the insane amount of theft here.

Hey there, just want a heads up on the renting scheme, is there any way or service, in order to avoid upfronting cash to a shady realtor? Some whay you put the deposit on an escrow account or similar?

If you pay the full year upfront or half is there any cash incentive usually given in the market? i see no one does that so i bet i could get a better value on the lease.

Realtors get the money from the renters commision rather from the owner right? is there any negotiation where you usually give them an incentive to lower the price and close the deal and compensate them on the side?

Just ideas... maybe something like this is happenign, love to hear some local's view on this matter.

Cheers.

I'm wondering if some of you, asking questions like "Will x amount of € be enough?", are actually too dumb to read! There are MANY people who have listed IN DETAIL all the costs of living and you are STILL asking the same questions over and over that could be answered if you weren't too lazy to read!!
Why should anybody put in the time and effort to answer your questions if you are even too lazy to READ others detailed answers? Selfish people like you don't deserve an answer! It's that simple!

Please is 50K euro gross annual before tax enough to move to Barcelona with my wife (not working), with two kids 4 yrs and 2yrs all girls.
The company will take care of relocation expenses.
Considering the cost of kindergarten for two in a bilingual (catalan and english) school system and rent for 2 - 3 room apartment possibly outside the center of the city.
Would this offer be able to sustain me and my family and make little savings?

@Luis

thats probably a standard salary for IT specialists in Spain, but not a good one compared to what you would get in Dublin, Poland, UK, UAE, USA.

With the cost of life of Barcelona with 40k you would get barely a mid-class life and no savings for buying an house or planning to retire early with good money.

Already in cheaper cities in Poland IT specialists working for corps they get easily 2000 EUR net a month, and working for more interesting projects than those in Spain.

Ola Raquel,

20k is pretty low considering the cost of living in Barcelona these days.

Before you accept any job offer take a look at the rental market because it will take up more than 50% of your salary in most cases. If you decide to live outside of city centre you have a lower rent but a higher cost with transports and spend time commuting.

It costs 2-3 times more to rent an apartment and the salaries are still the same as a number of years ago.

To rent an apartment you need to pay:

1. One rent or 10% of a years worth of rent to the letting agency. Their fees.
2. Two to three rents as deposit.
3. Subscribe for insurance on the apartment as the owners don’t fix appliances, etc there are cases where owners try to hold your deposits over things that were previously broken but not detailed in the contract.
4. You may have to consider paying 800-1000€ to get help from a relocation agency to help with contracts, NIE, Social Security number, etc.

Hello,

I was offered a job that pays 3.400 eur net a month, however I can't move with family due to the high rental costs.

For example for an apartment which costs 1.400 euro a month, it can take up to 6.000 eur to secure it (deposit, fees and first rent). Anyone going through the same situation? Any workarounds suggested?

Hey! I'm wandering if approximately 2,4000 EUR gross is enaugh to live in Barcelona? I'm trying to find out how much net it will be (there's 19% tax for non residents). Thanks in advance!

Hello,

I'm a student and I want to know how much money should I have per month for live

Its real the prices of some apartments, easy to find without real state? i am retird and will really like to know if are Fare calculations more o Less
Thank you any Help

I've lived in Barcelona 21 years after moving here from London (I am Spanish so forgive my spelling/grammar).

At the time, it was an improvement in terms of what I got for my salary, the climate, a quieter pace of life...now all that has changed dramatically.

DON'T BE FOOLED, this is an incredibly expensive city. Most people get around 1200 euro net pcm.

All of it will go to your landlord (around 1000 euro pcm for a 65sq metres 2 bed appartment is about right these days in a decent area). Bear in mind...you will rent through estate agents, or as I call them, racketeers. They will charge you aroung 1500 (administrative fees, they call it)just to rent you the flat. Then you will need at least a 2 months deposit (2000 euro) which at the end of the contract you will or will not get back...take pictures of how you get the flat and how you leave it, or they will claim everything was perfect and you vandalized it...AKA bye bye 2000 euro. The flat will never be perfect and once you move in...all refurbishment is at your own cost.

Expect cold damp places in winter and suffocating heat in the summer; unless you have central heating and aa/cc, which will cost you around 120 euro pcm to run...electricity and mobile companies are my other pet hates after landlords and estate agents these days. Yes, I said cold and damp, because the idea of insulation never crossed a Spanish mind and most places don't look onto charming plazas, but into dark and dingy courtyards.

If you think you like the weather because you've been to sunny places on holidays, consider that it is not the same as working, travelling, etc at 30ºC+ degrees for weeks on end. If you are British, winters will feel like early spring to you though.

Locals are not that friendly. They may want to improve their English and talk to you, but do not expect making many friends here. They keep to themselves pretty much.

And this is far from a quiet place any more...just think that 18 million tourist at the most conservative count visited the city in 2016. The impact on what you will pay for food, clothing, etc is major.

So, if I were you, I would think of another place to live. I will be moving out asap.

Here you can find detailed expenses in Barcelona. There are detailed excursions with cafe, restaurants and other attractions. For each attraction there are detailed expenses.

http://gpsexcursion.com/search/Barcelona

I have been offered a salary around 3400 euros per month and after deductions expect around 2400 so can I save 900 and live a decent life in 1500.What is the rent for sharing a furnished room around city center in 2017.

Hi everyone

In September I am starting my MA degree at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. What do you think, how much money the student needs to make ends meet? I want to rent a flat near the university.

A popular health insurance company is Sanitas. There are a lot more. I think that for a person aged 37 the monthly fee is around 50€.
The taxes on goods is 21%, although there are some exceptions for ex. Restaurants 7%, essential food 4%.

Hi we are a family of 5 people. I am an water, wastewater, air treatment and energy solutions expert. My wife is photographer and has all hasselband broncolor expensive equipment and our kids are 15 y.o. Girl, 3 y.o. Girl and 2 y.o. Boy. We are all English speaking family. We would like to get a 4 bedroom apartment in a nice secured location close to an international English speaking school and kindergarten . How much will cost us monthly and how much money do we need to pay in advance for renting the house having health insurance and cost of life too?

Best regards

Georgio

Hi
Actually I want to know about Barcelona any body can tell me
Whata the basic salary in Barcelona in company as a packing man garments?

Thanks.

Hello,
It's possible to live in Barcelona with 600 euros/month net fixed income? thank you

Considering everything that is going on in Europe recently, how many Arab and Muslim immigrants are there?

I'm planning a 3 month stay in Barcelona to research new novel. Which three months should I choose and will $3000/ month be adequate for a non drinker and non non smoker.

I would like to do fast food business in Spain, please help about what the total investment budget need for this
Thanks

Hi all,

Need your help in understanding about the cost of living in Barcelona , I have been offered a job which pays me around 50000 euros per annum and it will be a local contract , I will be moving with my spouse. In addition I have my mother in law who is a widow and cannot be left back in India. Is the salary sufficient for me to live in Barcelona .. Considering that all my relocation expenses are taken care. If there any specific things that I may need to consider. Also if anyone has an idea about if my wife can work being a dependent.
Thanks in advance