# Barcelona — relocation profile

Barcelona, Spain · Full democracy · livability 69/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Spain
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $3,576/month
- **Livability score:** 69 / 100 (rank 68 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 83 / 100 (rank 46 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 54% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Startup Cities, Sun + Beach, Rising Stars, Remote Work Visa Cities, Fresh Start Cities, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Warm & Affordable Europe, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Strong Democracy, Tech Settler, Queer Settlers, Leaving the UK, Freelance-Friendly, Mediterranean Lifestyle

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,712 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,308 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $2,670 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $2,441 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$3,576** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $8,344.

Reference point: 14% pricier than Madrid.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 8.1
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 0.6 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 5 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 10 years
- **English proficiency:** Moderate (EF EPI 540)
- **Main languages:** Spanish

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 19–27°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 5–14°C
- **Internet speed:** 83.70 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 85.4
- **Natural features:** mountains_nearby, sea

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $57,965 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 2.8% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 10.4% (2025)
- **Population:** 1,731,649

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lausanne | Switzerland | $2,058 | $4,846 | /cities/lausanne |
| Lucerne | Switzerland | $2,173 | $5,232 | /cities/lucerne |
| Lugano | Switzerland | $1,813 | $4,788 | /cities/lugano |
| Frankfurt | Germany | $1,358 | $3,547 | /cities/frankfurt |
| Malaga | Spain | $1,392 | $3,101 | /cities/malaga |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/barcelona
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/barcelona/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/barcelona) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.