Cost of Living in Barcelona

In this article we will talk about the cost of living in Barcelona, so that you can calculate your expenses like food, basic services and transport. We want to help you enjoy your stay in Barcelona at Xior Collblanc!

Good weather, amazing tourist attractions and nice food, the capital of Catalonia is the destination chosen by many students, who choose it to study or to get on with their lives.

Knowing how much it costs to live in Barcelona is crucial, isn’t it? With this article, you can plan and know more about this amazing city.   

Average cost of food

The cost of food in Barcelona is one of the most variable depending on your lifestyle. The best way to save some money is to shop at the supermarket and cook at home. For those who work outside their houses, taking homemade lunchboxes also helps a lot to reduce the budget. On average, a person who lives this way can spend between 40 and 50 euros a week on food.

Larger supermarkets have their own brands, but with good quality and much more affordable prices. In some cases, it is worth choosing to buy some of these items, the savings are great. Some supermarkets you can find in the city are Lidl, Aldi, Alcampo, Dia, Mercadona, Eroski and Caprabo.

Eating out in Barcelona is cheaper than other major European cities, if you search, you can get a dinner for two for under €60 or spend €12-15 on a burger and drink at a nice place. And even better, most restaurants in Barcelona offer the “menú del día” or the menu of the day which will cost you no more than €10 or so.

Transportation Expenses

Barcelona’s public transport is a good way of transportation because is very efficient and covers almost the entire city, both buses and the metro. The standard ticket with 10 trips costs 11.35 euros, the daily ticket with unlimited trips costs 10.50 euros and the monthly ticket costs 40 euros.

There is also the youth ticket with unlimited travel for 90 days, costing just 80 euros per month, for those under 25, If you are over 25, you can buy the T-Month card (50 euros), which entitles you to use any public transport within 30 days of purchase. The family card for 8 trips per month for 10 euros (can be used by more than one person). This prices refer to bus and metro travel in 1 zone. For other options and routes, see the tariff on the Barcelona Metro website.

If like to get around the city by bike, you should know that Barcelona has a service called Bicing. For 50 euros a year you can access any public bicycle in the city, and the first half hour of use will be completely free.

Entertainment and Extras

Besides the groceries and transportation, you also need to set aside a significant amount for your entertainment and extras. Having a coffee, going out for tapas or going for a beer in Barcelona can cost around 10 euros. Movie tickets cost around 9 euros (not counting popcorn and soft drinks). But in Barcelona, you can go and see so much for cheap like the museum, or beautiful building design by Gaudi for example. You can also go shopping in the city, like in Zara where the clothes are cheaper than in another big city.

It is tempting to spend every weekend trying out new bars and restaurants in Barcelona. If you want to party hard, the best thing to do is go to a disco. Depending on the club category, the price may vary, but it normally costs 15 euros to enter. And the drinks inside are not that expensive. 

Barcelona has many activities to offer, with music festivals, yoga classes on the beach and outdoor cinemas in the summer, it’s impossible to feel bored in this city.

Cell Phone & Internet

This is another thing which will completely depend on your needs and your budget. Most residents and foreign students stick to pre-paid sim cards, so they can easily control and monitor their spending. For some people this might cost 10€ a month while for others it could mean 50€+. For this type of deal, we recommend you to search a bit more with the local cell phone stores like Vodafone. Vodafone is one of the most popular cell phone companies in Spain and they offer a special prepaid deals for the young foreign students! This will save you a lot of money and hassle along the way. 

As far as internet is concerned, you can expect to pay around 30 to 50€ a month, but if you stay at Xior Collblanc, you don´t have to worry about extra expenses, because it´s all inclusive!

Spain along the last years has revealed to be one of the favorite destinations for foreign students where to spend their time abroad. Therefore, even though the cost of living in Barcelona for students isn’t cheap, if you stay with us at Xior Collblanc, you can enjoy the student life abroad peacefully!