Barcelona is a fun city with an open spirit that offers its citizens a great quality of life, it offers excellent educational and recreational activities, an efficient of transportation system and very good health services. The attractive climate that invites you to enjoy the Barcelona Spirit and beaches has made it one of the most popular European Metropolitan cities.
But what is the Cost of Living in Barcelona? Is it an expensive city with a hefty price tag?
Well, the answer to this question is probably relative. My Spanish colleagues from southern Spain (Granada, Almeria, Malaga) keep telling me that they find Barcelona to be an expensive city. Colleagues from Madrid joke that prices are about the same. Personally, having relocated from London I don't find Barcelona be that expensive. Clearly, my paycheck is lower as well, but we do manage quite well and the quality of life with the Barcelona's beaches easily compensate us. The big expense in a private balance sheet is clearly the rent.
As a monthly estimate, I would put the monthly expenses for a single adult student / young professional as below:
. Shared Flat Student's residence /
. Single Flat
Housing 300-500 € 500-800€
Food 200€ 200€
Transport 50€ 50€
Other 200€ 200€
Total 750-950€ 950-1200€
Expat Insight : I relocated to Barcelona after signing my employment contract with an American company that had a full relocation package and a local relocation service! As a single adult I would need at least 1300€ to finance my life style and bills when starting.
The company also provided a list of housing options (see list below), a personal relocation budget of 1500€ and they agreed to cover the first month rent.
A loft located centrally in Ciutat Vella (Gothic Quarter) near La Cathedral allowed me to explore the city by bike with my first month being extremely busy working off my to-do-list:
- Set up a bank account for the salary (as an foreigner with my passport).
- Register and get the residency card NIE at a police station.
- Find a flat in the city - check flat offerings on www.idealista.com.
- Get a phone contract, internet, electricity & gas provider.
- Register with Cat Salud (local medical hospital service).
The interns of the company were given a different list which I have added below. I remember most of them staying in university dormitories closer to the city center. Prices on these websites should give you a good idea about the cost of rent when starting out in Barcelona.
The Lofttown
Tel. 93 625 89 00
https://thelofttown.com
Room Housing
Tel. 93 164 21 22
www.roomhousing.es
Apartment Barcelona
Tel. 93 481 35 77
www.apartmentbarcelona.com
barcelonaresidencias / barcelonadesignflats
Tel. 93 414 18 50
www.barcelonaresidencias.com / www.barcelonadesignflats.com
Altiro - Accommodations in Barcelona
Telf. 93 253 04 27 / 661 285 892
www.altirobarcelona.com
Interns / Student List
Àgora BCN International University Residence
Tel. 93 166 90 00
www.agorabcn.com
Resa University Residences Pere FelipMonlau
Tel. 93 394 31 00
www.resa.es
University Residence Tagaste
Tel. 93 412 78 02
www.tagaste.com
Residence Reina de la Pau
Tel. 93 315 15 08
www.reinadelapau.com
San Marius University Residences
Tel. 607 92 79 37
www.sanmarius.es
For more details about prices and the cost of living and getting around Barcelona some of my blogs posts below contain additional info...
Have a great time discovering Barcelona!
Every day of your life deserves to be amazing!
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Norman Kuhlmann
"Life is too short to speak one language and stay in one place." In 2020, this philosophy took him from familiar London to sunny Barcelona. Usually enjoying trips to great places & beaches, cooking Mediterranean food or attempting to dance salsa. For more insights about Life in Barcelona and delicious Tapas follow his blog on Barcelona-expat.com