As the capital city of Spain, Madrid is the more expensive between the two. Barcelona and Madrid are actually more expensive than other cities in Spain. But between the two, Madrid is more expensive. For a start, Madrid and Barcelona are two of the most expensive cities in Spain. Both of these cities can be about 40% more expensive than other locations. Before moving to any of these cities, one should be aware of these facts. This is why in this part of the article, we are going to touch on the cost of living in Spain. We will tackle the major expenses as well as the prices. This way, you would have a good estimate of your monthly costs. As a future ex-pat in any of these cities, we think this is something you need to know. As we previously mentioned, living in Spain has its disadvantage. And that is its high cost of living. As we already know, Madrid is more expensive than the two, especially if you live in the city center. The cost of rent is just too much. Rent The difference when it comes to renting may not be much between the two cities. As we mentioned before, both cities are expensive. In Madrid, for example, a one-bedroom apartment may cost you 903.89 Euros. In Barcelona, it would be 903.84 Euros. This is just a matter of a few cents if you look at it. The big difference, however, is when you rent a three-bedroom apartment. When moving in with family, this is more of a practical choice. An apartment of this size in the city center of Madrid would cost you 1,600 Euros per month. In Barcelona, the same apartment in the city center is at 1,500+ Euros. On average, the difference is at around 5%. When outside the city center, Madrid’s cost would be around 1,108 Euros per month. In Barcelona, the difference is not much. It would cost you around 1,101 Euros per month to rent a three-bedroom outside the city center. There are, of course, properties for rent for about 500 to 700 Euros per month. But expect these properties to be way out of the city center. Utilities Basic utilities are also more expensive in Madrid. In Madrid, you could expect to pay around 141 Euros per month for basic utilities. This would already include heating/cooling systems, water, and electricity bills. This would also include garbage disposal services. In Barcelona, the same amount of services would cost you around 136 Euros per month. This is about 3% cheaper compared to costs in Madrid. Transportation When it comes to transportation, Barcelona may be a bit more expensive in some aspects. One such example is a cab ride which is about 6% more expensive than Madrid. The same is true with a one-way ticket. It is 51% more expensive than Madrid. What is interesting, however, is when you get a monthly pass. A monthly pass in Madrid would cost around 54.60 Euros. In Barcelona, it is way cheaper at 40 Euros. Food When it comes to food, there is not much of a difference between these two cities. Dining in restaurants would cost you anywhere from 12 to 50 Euros. This would have to depend on the restaurant you’re at or the food you’ll have. In addition, groceries may also be more expensive in Barcelona. Milk is 7% more expensive while the bread is 39% more expensive in Barcelona than in Madrid. On the other hand, cheese, chicken, and beer are cheaper in Barcelona than in Madrid. Salaries Madrid has more job opportunities than Barcelona. It is also one of the country’s most important economic players. The salaries may also be higher in Madrid than in Barcelona. But the cost of living in Madrid is also slightly higher. The higher salary in Madrid makes up for the higher cost of living as well. Overall, one needs a salary of around 3,400 to live comfortably in Barcelona. In Madrid, it would be around 3,420. Again, the differences may not be that much. But overall, Barcelona is cheaper between the two.