Is Barcelona Expensive? A Barcelona Trip Cost Guide

Barcelona remains a huge draw for tourists globally, which is to be expected from a city that boasts fabulous food, atypical architecture and an intense sense of identity. It’s even gone and got itself a beach. For a place that has so much going for it, it’s also common to wonder how much a trip to this historic city will cost.

While Barcelona can be expensive when compared to other Spanish cities, at an average cost of €85-215 per person per day you’ll likely still find it more affordable than many other Western European cities if travelling on a mid-range budget.

So if the capital of Catalonia is a potential destination in the near future, read on so you can adequately budget your trip!

Barcelona Cost Guide

There are five main factors to consider when figuring out your travel costs in Barcelona. These include accommodation, transport, food, activities, and entertainment in Spain’s second-largest city.

Accommodation Prices

The all-important flights are booked, so the next component to look at when working out your trip cost is accommodation. There are plenty of places to stay — it just depends on how much you’re willing to spend.

The usual candidates are widely available, from hostel beds to rooms in 5-star hotels. Some gems are to be found if one wishes to experience an abode that’s a little more authentically Catalan such as a room in a house or apartment.

Even though the summer months of July and August are the busiest, with so much accommodation available, supply should be able to cope with demand. It’ll probably be better to book that little bit earlier if thinking of visiting during the peak months to widen the pool of potential possibilities.

Be aware though that accommodation prices will be higher at this time of year. In general, expect prices in Barcelona between May and August to rise by roughly 10-12% per night.

Starting with the budget end, the city offers rooms in shared dormitories, some of which such as Fabrizzio’s Petit are very near the city centre, for around €40-50 a night.

For mid-range hotels such as Hotel Condado, expect prices, on average to be in the region of €120-150 per night for a double room. If one has a bit more to spend or fancies splashing out on somewhere more high-end such as Room Mate Anna, then expect to say goodbye to approximately €250 (and beyond) for each night’s stay.

Transportation Prices

Because of Barcelona’s layout, in that some of the main areas/sites one is likely to want to visit may be a fair distance apart (or outside of the city altogether), there will probably be a need, at some point, to incorporate a bit of public transport. Even the avid walker may find the combination of heat and hills gets a touch too much. 

The city’s metro and bus services are frequent and serve the key areas. A single journey costs €2.55, but better value comes in the form of travel cards/multi-trip tickets.

There are lots of different passes available so it can definitely be worth it to put together a rough itinerary and figure out how much you’ll be using public transport to determining which is the best option for you.

For a weekend visit, the T-Casual card may just do the trick. Priced at €12.15, this card allows 10 trips on the metro, bus, tram and local train services with the added benefit of allowing the holder to travel to/from the airport by train or specific airport buses. It can also be used by two people (5 journeys each) so is perfect if travelling as a couple.

There are also unlimited transport passes that can be purchased for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days – these are known as the Hola Barcelona travel cards.

Much can be visited on foot, particularly in the central areas. For example, one can take in Casa Batlló (a residential building remodelled by Gaudi), Plaça de Catalunya, La Rambla, Boqueria Market, the Gothic Quarter (including Barcelona Cathedral) and the seafront without a sniff of a metro line or bus. I’d recommend a food and drink stop or two along the way, though.

All in all, expect to spend about €5-10 per person per day in Barcelona on transport, depending on how you plan to get around.

Food Prices

The usual template for most big European cities remains true of Barcelona. At the tourist traps, – quaint squares with a central statue or fountain outlined by shaded restaurants; the waterfront – expect to pay a bit more as one always does at these types of locations.

But better prices for no loss of quality and arguably, a more genuine experience, can be found if one is prepared to venture, well walk, just a little. Of course, the usual fast food chains do have their outlets if one just wants to eat cheaply without bothering to try something different.

Tapas can be quite substantial and many bars offer a wide selection of plate types at a range of prices, but budget at around the €5-10 mark per plate to be on the safe side which is pricier than other Spanish cities such as Seville or Granada.

If you’re interested in engaging in tapas culture, make sure you’re searching for “bars” and not “restaurants” – they’re different things!

Restaurants do offer set lunch menus at fairly decent prices and taking part in a traditional “menú del día” is one of my favourite things about travelling to Spain.

Again, daily set menus are more expensive in Barcelona (and Catalonia in general) than elsewhere in Spain, and expect a meal that includes 3 courses and a drink to cost roughly €20 per person.

Catalonia baked goods are absolutely fantastic, so I also always recommend to pick up a pastry or snack in a market or bakery for a few euros at most if you want to eat on the go, or if you’re just not that hungry. 

In general, with the above in mind, expect to spend about €20-40 per person per day on food depending on your eating habits.

Activities Prices

Although sights and sounds of the street cost nothing and some attractions are free, more of the major points of interest – the bits Barcelona is known for – will likely command an entry fee, or at least, an entry fee to see parts of them.

Some museums and attractions offer concessions for students and the elderly etc. so it’s always worth checking websites or asking at the ticket desk to try and save a few euros. I recommend pre-booking online – this comes with the added benefit of avoiding queues, being able to pick a timeslot (if necessary), plus the possibility of a discounted price.

Park Güell, famed for its Gaudí-created architecture and excellent views of the city, can be explored without paying (95% of it is free), however, if one wants to see the ‘Monumental Zone’  that is, the main entrance, terrace, and mosaics, then you will have to pay the €10 ticket fee. If you want to also visit Gaudí House Museum, you can purchase a combined ticket for €14.

Entry to the ticketed part of Park Güell can be purchased at the gates, but I only advise this if you list queuing as a favourite pastime. Booking in advance is a great option to skip the queues and to schedule a visit around your preferred timeline.

The Sagrada Familia, arguably Barcelona’s most famous icon, which to some is a thing of splendour, to others, some kind of harrowing sandcastle, can be enjoyed or if you take the latter view, endured, from the park area surrounding it. Prices to enter the church itself vary from €26, up to €40 for an accompanying tour and tower visit.

Some museums, including the Picasso Museum, can be explored for free on certain days, so check beforehand if a museum is likely to appear on the itinerary. La Rambla Boulevard, Boqueria Market and Casa Batlló are all big Barcelona draws that won’t cost a cent.

With Barcelona FC having achieved much success in recent years, they are now a globally recognised brand, so unsurprisingly, their home ground, Camp Nou, has become a big tourist attraction. Tours range in price but start at €25 for the basic package.

City tours come in all shapes and sizes covering a variety of subject matter- food and drink, ‘top sites’, the beautiful Gothic Quarter and partying/nights out.

Prices are equally variable, but another option is a free walking tour. Although as the title suggests, you’re under no obligation to pay, but it’s usually the done thing to hand the guide a few euros at the end (or whatever you felt the tour was worth).

Bike tours follow a similar format and again, some are ‘free’. Bus tours are popular in most major cities and Barcelona is no exception. Many run hop-on, hop-off formats with the usual candidates in terms of tourist attractions, but if you’re prepared to walk a little and use some public transport, I’m not sure there’s a real need to go on one.  

Tourist passes like the Barcelona Card, for example, allow free entry to certain venues, discounts, shopping benefits and public transport deals. These are usually only cost-effective if you know exactly what you’re going to do and are likely to buy, in order to make the necessary price comparisons.

In general, when considering all of the activities and their objective costs, then plan to spend around €15-25 per person per day.

Entertainment Prices

With food having been taken care of earlier, what about the basic cost of an alcoholic drink? Using beer for comparison purposes, a standard draught lager (which comes in at a little under half-a-pint glass worth) at the tourist hotspots will cost in the region of €4.50, which for the size, is actually quite expensive, but you’ll be paying mainly for the location.

A little way outside the centre towards the residential areas, prices come down as bars become smaller and tailored towards their locale. Plan to spend around €3 for a beer and similar for a glass of wine or, to be really local, a vermouth.

Beyond the intake of alcohol, or if wanting to combine it with something else, how about a night of flamboyance in the shape of flamenco dancing?

Enjoy a flamenco show in one of Barcelona’s intimate venues for around €20-50 a ticket, depending on the venue. Basic options usually come with a free drink, but tickets can cost more if food is also on the agenda. Probably best not to dance on a full stomach…

For concerts at Palau de la Música Catalana, tickets are priced according to the nature of the event itself and also seating category. Some start at under €20 and rise to over €100, but can be purchased, and therefore budgeted for, in advance, online.

For those wanting to see Barcelona FC play a live game at the Camp Nou, La Liga tickets go on sale around 4 weeks before (this is different for other competitions and the visit of Real Madrid). Prices again vary according to seating category.

A spot in one of the upper corners of the ground for a Sunday evening La Liga game can be as low as €30 but realistically, expect to pay around the €60 mark and beyond.

Average Barcelona Trip Cost

So then, how expensive is Barcelona? To help you better plan, here is an average of what you should expect to spend in Barcelona per person per day – assuming that you’re splitting some things like accommodation between two people.

All in all, you should expect to budget an average daily spend per person of €85-215. However, this will increase if you plan on staying in hotels, eating out more frequently in restaurants or taking day trips to places like Montserrat or to Tarragona.

This also doesn’t include any pre-trip expenses such as flights or travel insurance. For travel insurance, SafetyWing is a good option if you’re travelling in Barcelona on a budget. They offer affordable and flexible travel medical insurance policies.

For Spain, Barcelona is a pricier destination, with its popularity part of the problem. However, as I hope has been demonstrated, it should still be a plausible, fulfilling destination within a reasonable level of expenditure compared to other cities of a similar stature.

Are you visiting Barcelona? Have any questions? Let us know in the comments!