If you are thinking of moving to Barcelona, one of the first things that you probably will check out is the cost of living. And to get a more approachable perspective on the city (and the country) and people’s purchasing power, you might also do some research to figure out the average salary in Barcelona. So this article focuses on that topic.
Average salary in Barcelona
According to the updated data from the official source Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) from 2021, the average gross annual salary in the city of Barcelona is 25.319€. And so when divided in 12 months, the average gross monthly salary is 2.019,92€. What about the rest of Catalonia? Let’s see…
Average salary in the main cities in Catalonia
When comparing the gross average salary in Barcelona to the other main cities in Catalonia, here is what we find: Barcelona has the highest average salary, with a significant difference compared to the other cities:
- Tarragona: 21.387€
- Girona: 20.691€
- Lleida: 20.506€
Tarragona would be in the second position, but the numbers between the three of them are pretty similar.
Average salary in Barcelona compared to other cities in Spain
And what about other cities in Spain? What is the difference when comparing Barcelona to the capital of Spain, Madrid? Here are the numbers of some of the most popular cities:
- Madrid: 27.981€
- Asturias: 22.286€
- Zaragoza: 22.288€
- Valencia: 20.860€
- Sevilla: 18.751€
- Cádiz: 18.986€
Average salary in Barcelona vs Average salary in Spain
Differences between regions (“Comunidades autónomas”) are pretty considerable. But what is actually the average gross salary in Spain? According to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), the gross monthly average salary in Spain is 2.086,80€. But if we take the city with the lowest and the highest number, we cap appreciate a considerable gap:
- Extremadura: 1.632,80€
- Basque Country area: 2.452,90€
For more detailed information before landing in the city, we recommend you to check out the article: Things you need to know before moving to Barcelona.
