I should soon be moving to Barcelona from London but need to work out the relative merits of my pay offer from a new job.

Does anyone have a very rough idea of how to compare eg what a ?20,000 or ?30,000 pay packet in London would be in ? in Barcelona.

Of course it’s not just converting the currency because of the cost of living. From what I can tell flats are pretty much the same- eg a ?1000 per month flat would cost ?1000 per month in Barcelona (maybe a bit more). But then I hear a monthly transport pass is only ?43ish compared to ?100 odd in London. I understand food and drink can be cheaper too but how much?

Anyone have a rate I can work out for general living expenses? (if it comes to specifics my money would be going on accommodation, food, drinks out and maybe the odd meal out - oh, and buying myself some stuff when I get out there - TV etc. No car, no kids)

Thank you SO much for any help anyone can give me

Hi, ?30k in Barcelona is a lot compared to what most young Spaniards earn, and they seem to manage to indulge in conspicuous consumption, though I think it’s because a lot of them live with their parents. I can’t give you a detailed rundown but you can sort of think euro for pound on most things, which used to be a great advantage but now isn’t quite as much of a difference.  When we furnished our Spanish house (albeit not in BCN) we found most furniture, white goods and kitchen equipment were much less expensive than the UK, while stuff like home entertainment was a little more expensive and not as good in terms of choice. Clothes (especially shoes) are cheaper but I don’t think the sales are as good. Transport is much cheaper than London and casual eating and drinking is both much less expensive and better quality. Clubbing or going for cocktails can be just as dear as at home, and top-end restaurants aren’t far behind. What really makes a difference is what I call “walking around money” - the odd beer or coffee, a tapa or short cab ride - in BCN these are a few pounds here and there, while whenever I’m in London I seem to unacountably blow wads of money on “incidentals” like this. Oh, and if you smoke you’ll save a lot of money (although you should quit anyway.)

Haha, Martin, that’s great. I’d put it exactly like that to: the incidentals are just so much more reasonable here than back home and indeed I too manage to blow wads of cash on stupid nothing things when I’m home.

Found this on the always-interesting kalebeul blog.  Depressing, but it does serve to indicate that on 20-30k, you’ll be one of the lucky ones in BCN.  There’s also a clue there as to why you can still get a cortado/tallat for a euro twenty…

Why London and Dublin are full of Spanish waitresses

Someone just sent me this job ad to illustrate the kind of shite people suffer in Barcelona. It?s a six month contract in a city centre branch of a chain of caf?s. The morning shift is Mon-Sun 06:00-15:00 with alternating Sat and Sunday free, which adds up to 54 antisocial hours a week (the EU Working Time Directive, to which Spain subscribed, says 48 max), slightly more than 231 hours in an average month, at a gross rate of ?4/hour. That?s not even enough to pay the average monthly flat rent in Barcelona, which last summer was ?811, never mind eat.

thanks for all the help guys.

Basically I have been offered a job out there but can’t work out whether the wage I am being offered is better or worse than what I am on. By the sounds of it very loosely speaking a ?10k wage in London would be a ?10k wage in Barcelona. A ?20k wage in London would be ?20k in Barcelona and ?30k London, ?30k in BCN and so on.

Hi, I’m new and I thought I’d post my question here to avoid starting a very similar thread. I’m also moving from London to Barcelona.

I’ve accepted a wage of 1100 Euros per month. Now I’m trying to work out how much I can afford to spend on accomodation.

To paint you a picture, I’m used to living on a student budget and I’m looking for a flat share. I don’t smoke, and eating out is a treat rather than a necessity (I’m a pretty good cook). I tend to walk or cycle rather than drive. Can I get away with a room at 430 euros per month (including bills?) - I’ve found a nice one.

Thanks for any help!

Mystery Man - 17 June 2008 12:16 AM

thanks for all the help guys.

Basically I have been offered a job out there but can’t work out whether the wage I am being offered is better or worse than what I am on. By the sounds of it very loosely speaking a ?10k wage in London would be a ?10k wage in Barcelona. A ?20k wage in London would be ?20k in Barcelona and ?30k London, ?30k in BCN and so on.

From what I gather from friends that`s pretty much it.

Also property is relative too, its high in BCN and London.