Cost of living in Barcelona

Hi Magsy,

It's possible of course because there are people living on less than this but clearly how much you pay for your rent each month is going to be crucial (particularly before your income rises in 12-18 months time). You obviously have your reasons for looking at St. Cugat (which is nice, and very close to BCN, and has good transport links into BCN) but there are cheaper areas further out from Barcelona if you are looking to save money on your rent.

Whilst you can use sites like fotocasa.es and idealista.com as a guide, obviously someone is going to have to visit the area you are interested in and to talk to some agents and visit some properties. Also be aware many properties are advertised locally and not necessarily online, and many also only ever get advertised privately with a hand written sign in the apartment window (venta/se vende). The rental market is always more dynamic than the buyers market and so properties appear and disappear more quickly. And with more people looking to let their apartments/houses now because they are unable to sell at the price they want/need, there is a good choice at the moment.

Hope this is of some help!
(Just as an aside I don't see a mention of any medical cover/insurance - although I am sure you have looked into this.)

Thanks so much for your reply. We are in a bit of a conundrum at the moment as we are absolutely ignorant to the cost of living in Spain, whether to rent or buy etc., etc. Since my original posting I have read in other forums that some people manage on Euros 10,000 per annum. I suspect that must be outside of any major cities and you need to own your own home. I was looking in this particular area mentioned in my earlier posting due to a job application I had made and the area was recommended.

Apologies! Forgot to mention that medical insurance cover would come via the UK. Both of us are Brits living currently in Germany.

No problem. Why not take a look at the web sites of some Spanish shops to give you a guide as to equivalent prices?

Biggest department store (and most expensive perhaps) is El Corte Ingles - http://www.elcorteingles.es/. Take a look at some of the online supermarkets for example Carrefour online in Spain - http://www.carrefour.es/
Go into the site as a guest for online shopping and (it's in English as well) and where it says postcode why not put in 08173 which is one of the postcodes for Sant Cugat and then you can start looking at the prices of a whole range of goods. For a comparison with the UK obviously remember to factor in the Exchange Rate.

I would like to thank you for being so helpful! I can see from your signature that it might be worthwhile in contacting you direct?

No problem.

Hi

My partner and I currently live in Barcelona on roughly the same buget as yourselves. We manage OK, rent etc can be quite expensive but we generally dont have any problems. I would advise you to choose where you live in the city very carefully as the cost of living from one neighbourhood to the other can vary greatly, obviously the closer to the 'centre' the more expensive it is. Take your time and have a look.
I would also consider where you will be working. I work in San Cugat and commute daily from Barcelona. The transport links are good but at times it does become a little irritating and tiring to make the commute.
best of luck

Hi all,

I came across a post and was wondering if anybody could tell me if prices have changed a lot?

The link is http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/shopping/cost-of-living-barcelona.html

Thanks in advance,

Xander

Prices sound about right except for Tobacco and Fuel both of which cost rather more.

Diesel is around 1.35? / litre and Premium type cigarettes.g. Superkings / Marlboro 100's are around 43.50 per 200 carton.

Rather more than the UAE I guess...

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Thanks for your response! It's a good thing I don't smoke and make use of public transport...

It's about 15 euro for a full tank of gas here in Dubai, like a Nissan Tida, and cigarettes I wouldn't know.