Is Barcelona cheaper than UK?

When thinking about whether or not to buy an apartment in Barcelona, one can ask: is Barcelona that much cheaper? In comparison with other Spanish cities, Barcelona requires more capital to be spent while living here. However, you need to take into account the size of the city, with Barcelona being the second largest city in the country. Further, due to its importance, Barcelona offers more choices in everything from jobs to restaurants, leisure options and attractions. Barcelona has 8 main neighbourhoods from which you can choose, based on your own requirements. Now, putting the UK on one scale and Barcelona on the other and comparing them will give us an answer to the main question, which of the two is cheaper? To narrow it down, a comparison between London and Barcelona will be made since they are both known as international cities, they are big metropolitan cities encompassing various styles and for many reasons such as history, art, attractions, and restaurants, they are comparable.

But how much cheaper is Barcelona than the UK for living?

According to a recent study, executed in January 2023, London exceeds Barcelona in the cost of living on all plans, except for food. The same survey suggests that housing in Barcelona is almost half the price of London, specifically Barcelona is cheaper at 44%. While London has its own share of historic styles, varying from Victorian to Edwardian and Georgian, combined with a touch of modernity under the shape of skyscrapers made of glass and resembling a lighthouse at night, Barcelona is a masterpiece of architecture and distinct styles. If you buy a property in Barcelona, you need to consider that each neighbourhood has its own style, all very different from each other. In order to make a proper assessment of where it is more expensive or too cheap to live, we need to take into account what each city offers. London has many stylish surprises around each corner, from phone booths to the charming Bond street and The British Museum. Barcelona on the other side is like the 8 wonders of the world.

The first time you see Barcelona fires will seem alight, the air fragrant and free

This city is bathed in history and modernity at the same time, sitting alongside one another in an oxymoronic combination. Each architect that designed a building within Barcelona and left it as a legacy, used a style that is unrelatable to others worldwide. For each element that London has, Barcelona brings another one to the table. The gorgeous Bond Street competes with the Passeig de Gracia promenade while the British Museum needs to watch out for the National Museum of National Art of Catalunya (Museu Nacional D’Art de Catalunya). Like Miguel de Cervantes said, ‘’Barcelona, archives of courtesy, the shelter of the foreigners, hospital of the poor, father-land of the brave, the vengeance of the offended and pleasant correspondence of firm friendship, and in the site, and in beauty, unique. There are however certain differences between London and Barcelona. While they both have traditions, monarchy and heritage pulsating through their veins, Barcelona has a happier approach to things. Also, Barcelona rates amongst the top 10 places to live in the world, surpassing Paris and London in best-world city listings. Here, people are an amazing example of hospitality, Spanish openness, and joy. The atmosphere is more relaxed, even in the business and office areas in the city. You can always hear children’s laughter on the streets and the sun never stops shining. London is more immersed in grey colours and rain and going out usually implies shopping and drinking. Barcelona life is leaning more towards a healthy lifestyle involving sports and outdoor activities, museum visits, leisure time spent at terraces, boat rides and of course, the beach during the summer sunny days. Many of these pass-time activities are due to the lower prices in food options, with a glass of wine costing 2,50 euros and a 3-course lunch menu with drinks and dessert included being 12 euros. On the same topic, food in Barcelona is better than in many other places, as there is always a fresh supply of fruits and vegetables all year round. You will probably have the best seafood in Barcelona, no matter if you go to a bar or a fancy restaurant, this is the Eden of anyone who cannot stay away from clams, lobster, fish and more. There are various local dishes starring fish and seafood that you can try that will have you wishing for a second plate. Also, for meat lovers, Barcelona and Spain in general have your back. Here, you will fall in love at first sight and taste the famous jamon iberico.

Looking to escape the urban landscape during your free time?

On a different note, if you are looking to escape the urban landscape and head towards nature and mountains, you need to hop on a train and head west from London to the Cambrian Mountains. This trip will cost you around 60 euros if you book it on the same day and has a total travel time of 4 hours and a half. In exchange, Barcelona provides a more comfortable choice. Also located in the west, Tibidabo mountain peak is only 57 minutes away and costs less than 10 euros. These spectacular hills shelter a fascinating church, as well as an amusement park and other attractions. Further, from here, you can see the entire city and more under the shape of exquisite panoramas. Further, Barcelona is a hub of transportation which costs less than the Londonize one. Exemplifying, in London, the average price people spend per day is 22-23 euros, while in Barcelona would be 14,67 euros. In terms of personal care prices, Barcelona scores lower than London. The same goes for entertainment, with the Catalan capital offering many concerts, flamenco and candlelight shows. Further, there are various attractions that offer their own shows, such as Casa Batllo. You can seek more entertainment by looking towards the many culinary workshops, such as tapas and paella and while London has the London Eye, Barcelona has Tibidabo’s Ferris wheel and many cable cars such as the one in Montjuic and in the port.

What if I want to buy a property in Barcelona and I am from the UK?

Regarding housing, Barcelona scores almost half compared to London. If in London the cost of a room can go up to 1200 pounds, for the same price you can rent a whole apartment in Barcelona. The same goes for buying a property. You can buy a great apartment with 2 rooms and a bathroom in one of the best areas in London, Notting Hill for 975,000 British Pounds while a similar apartment will cost you in Barcelona’s Eixample 858,000 euros, but has 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms.

So why should I buy an Apartment in Barcelona?

Therefore, to sum it up, if you wish to buy a property in Barcelona you need to keep in mind that in many categories, the Catalan capital will provide you with better prices than London and UK in general. Also, if you want to be surrounded by various ethnicities, but do not want to be overwhelmed, London has 37 per cent of the population from outside the UK and 300 distinct languages, while Barcelona has just 17% and 179 nationalities. Life is not only more affordable in Barcelona, but also more fun and certainly sunnier. Here, the city meets the mountains to the west and the sea to the left. The warm air is filled with flamenco rhythm, cava scent and various food flavours. The primordial beauty of a sunset is so much more charming, exposing amber tones and mystic blood-orange shades.  There is just no way you cannot fall in love with the city and, as Hemingway said, ‘’And Barcelona. You should see Barcelona’’.