Is Barcelona Expensive? An Insider’s Review for Travellers

Are you planning a trip to Spain and wondering if you should add Barcelona to your itinerary, or whether visiting will kill your travel budget?

You might be thinking: Can I afford to visit Barcelona?

Is Barcelona actually worth its price tag?

Barcelona is one of the most popular destinations in Spain, but the Catalan capital also has a bit of a reputation for being quite expensive!

So, is Barcelona expensive?

The short answer is: yes… and no. 

It really depends on how you travel, when you visit, and what kind of experience you’re looking for.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Barcelona, both visiting and living full-time in the city for 2,5 years, and in my opinion, it’s one of those cities that can feel wildly different depending on your choices. 

You can sip €15 cocktails on a rooftop overlooking the Sagrada Família, or you can have a perfectly good coffee standing at a local bar for a couple of euros. 

You can stay in a sleek design hotel in the city center, or you can find charming, affordable places if you’re willing to be a bit flexible.

In this post, I’ll break down what things actually cost for a visit to Barcelona, from accommodation and food to transport and attractions. 

I’ll share my honest opinion on how much it costs to go to Barcelona, and how to enjoy the city without constantly checking your bank balance. 

So, if you’re planning your first Barcelona trip and wondering what to budget, this one’s for you.

A Cost Breakdown of Visiting Barcelona

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How Much Does It Cost to Go to Barcelona?

Barcelona is considered among the most expensive cities in Spain to visit, and compared to other smaller Spanish towns, Barcelona is definitely expensive!

There are different types of costs to consider when estimating how much it costs to visit Barcelona, such as accommodation, food, transport, and entry fees.

I believe you can divide the daily costs of visiting Barcelona into three broader travel budget categories:

• Budget traveler: You can get by on roughly €60–€80 per day if you stay in hostels, eat inexpensive meals, and do mostly free sights.
  
• Mid-range traveler: A comfortable vacation with decent accommodation, meals at local restaurants, transit, and a couple of paid attractions usually runs around €100 – €150 per day.
  
• Higher-end travel: If you prefer nicer hotels, more dining out, tours, and experiences, it’s easy to spend €180+ per day in Barcelona. 

Now that we have looked at the average cost of a visit to Barcelona for different types of travelers, let’s explore the different travel budget categories: 

RELATED: The Best Things to Do in Barcelona

What Reddit Has to Say About How Expensive Barcelona is to Visit

What makes Barcelona tricky is that it looks like a laid-back Mediterranean city, but parts of it are priced more like a major European capital. 

People on Reddit (of course) have a lot of opinions about how expensive Barcelona is – or isn’t.

In a thread about whether Barcelona is considered expensive, a user highlighted:

“Barcelona post-COVID is pricey at the levels of some other European capitals. You will actually find it even pricier in cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, or London. (…) That said, Barcelona still has local bars and neighbourhoods that won’t be as pricey if you know where to look, but don’t expect specialty coffee and Instagrammable restaurants there.”

I think it is very true that Barcelona post-COVID has seen a price increase. At least, that’s also what I have heard from my friends who have lived longer in Barcelona than me. I arrived in Barcelona in 2023 and left in 2025.

But it is also true what is pointed out by the Reddit user that the more local neighbourhoods in Barcelona are still not as pricey as the hot Instagrammable places in the center.

Another user pointed out: 

“Barcelona is overpriced because, particularly in the center, prices are often targeted at tourists. So, with respect to what would be reasonable for a person living in the city on a Spanish salary, Barcelona is pretty overpriced. And over time, that has driven many residents out of the city center and limited what they can afford with their money.”

The touristy areas in Barcelona are, for sure, overpriced, and one of the phrases my husband used to say the most when we lived in Barcelona was “Barcelona es caro por lo que es” or translated: “Barcelona is expensive for what it is”.

On a Spanish salary, Barcelona is overpriced, but if you’re coming from abroad with a different salary and spending limit, it might not seem as expensive.

Compared to Scandinavian cities like Copenhagen and Oslo, Barcelona is definitely not that expensive.

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Is Barcelona Expensive? A Cost Breakdown

We have looked at some average costs of visiting Barcelona and what other people had to say about how expensive Barcelona is to visit, but now let’s dive deeper and look at a cost breakdown per travel budget category.

Here is a quick breakdown of the average prices per person based on my own experience living in Barcelona for two years and my recent trip to Barcelona in January 2026:

• Hotel rooms: €50 – €300 per night
• Tourist attractions: €10 – €50 per person per attraction
• Guided tours and experiences: €20 – €100 per person per attraction 
• Breakfast: €10 – €20 per person
• Lunch: €10 – €50 per person
• Dinner: €20 – €100 per person
• Transportation: €2.95 – €22 per person

Let’s explore each of these categories in detail!

Price of Accommodation in Barcelona

Accommodation is always going to be a big expense on your travel budget, but accommodation in Barcelona can easily steal a big chunk of your travel budget altogether.

Let’s break down some of the different accommodation options in Barcelona and their price:

• Bed in a Shared Dorm – A bed in a standard shared hostel dorm, like Generator Hostels or Sant Jordi Hostels, is roughly between €20 – €50 per person per night. For more unique boutique hostels, like Pars Tailor’s Hostel or Casa Gracia, a bed in a shared dorm is between €70 – €50 per person per night.
• Budget-friendly Hotel Room – A budget hotel like Som Nit Port Vell or Guadi Hotel will be around €60 to €100 a night,
• Mid-Range Hotel Room – For a mid-Range hotel in Barcelona, like INNSiDE Apolo or Sir Victor Hotel, a room will be around €150 to €200 a night.
• High-end Hotel Room – For a room at a high-end hotel in Barcelona, like Coton House Hotel or El Palace Barcelona, easily reaches €300 – €2,000 a night.

So, yes, accommodation is, for sure, going to be one of the biggest expenses on your Barcelona travel budget.

On a positive note, there are a lot of accommodations

Recently, the City Council in Barcelona announced that it will not renew any more short-term rental licences that are mostly used for Airbnb, and aims to phase out those licences completely by November 2028.

So, soon Airbnb will no longer be an accommodation option in Barcelona. Not that long ago, Airbnb was a lot cheaper than a hotel room.

Actually, when we arrived in Barcelona in 2023, we ended up renting an Airbnb in the small town of Castelldefells just outside Barcelona, because we couldn’t find any affordable (and dog-friendly) Airbnb in the city.

Price of Attractions in Barcelona

The admission tickets to the popular tourist attractions in Barcelona are another expense post that is going to affect your travel budget considerably!

Admission tickets in Barcelona range from €10 to somewhere above €50.

Here are some of the most popular tourist attractions in Barcelona with their price tag:

• Sagrada Familia: €26 – €70
• Casa Batlló: €25 – €60
• Casa Milà – La Pedrera: €30 – €50
• Palau de la Música Catalana: €20
• Park Guëll:  €18
• Torres Glóres Viewpoint: €18
• Picasso Museum: €14
• National Museum for Catalan Art: €12

Barcelona’s most famous attraction, the Gaudí-designed church Sagrada Familia, steals the show as the most expensive attraction entrance ticket in Barcelona. 

The tickets to Sagrada Familia range from €26 up to around €70 per person in the summer months.

Other popular Gaudí attractions, such as Casa Batlló, Park Guëll, and Casa Milá, also come with some pretty high price tags, mostly starting at around €25 and going all the way up to €60 for premium tickets.

Price of Eating Out in Barcelona

Eating out can also be quite expensive in Barcelona, however, since I’m originally Danish, and eating out is infamously expensive in Copenhagen, Barcelona didn’t surprise me that much.

Here’s a quick breakdown for you on what I spent on meals during my last trip to Barcelona in January 2026:

Breakfast 

Depending on whether you have breakfast included at your hotel or you go out to a café for breakfast, the price differs. Generally, breakfast at a nice café in Barcelona is around €10 – €20 per person.

For example, at Almendra Brunch, I paid €10 for a yogurt and a coffee last time I was in Barcelona.

At Corgi Café Sagrada Familia, my friend and I paid €20 per person for a coffee and a bagel.

Lunch

In Barcelona, lunch is generally around €10 – €50 per person, depending on where you go. 

For cheaper options, you can grab a quick sandwich at a local bakery or one of the many 365 coffee shops around the city, which is likely to be less than €10.

Honest Greens is a nicer but still budget-friendly option for lunch in Barcelona. I spent €16 on an avocado toast and a coffee for lunch on my last day in Barcelona. 

For lunch at a restaurant, the price is more likely to end around the €30 per person. My friend and I went for lunch at this cute little Cuban restaurant, Habana Vieja, in El Born, and we paid €23 per person.

Dinner

For dinner in Barcelona, the price is usually around €20 – €100 per person, again depending on where you go.

If you go to a low-key tapas restaurant, you will end up spending around €20 per person.

For a mid-range option, I recommend Santa Gula, a cute local place, where you can have dinner for €30-€40 per person.

However, for better high-end restaurants like La Dama or Suculent (a Michelin-starred restaurant), a dinner out in Barcelona can easily end up at €100 per person.

La Dama is one of my absolute favorite places in Barcelona! Even if you don’t want to go for dinner, I highly recommend reserving time for a drink in the bar. The place is gorgeous, and the lobby of the building is one of the best hidden gems in Barcelona. 

A Note on Eating Out in Barcelona

What bothered me the most about eating out in Barcelona is that sometimes the quality of the food doesn’t align with the price tag. Or better said: you pay a high price tag for poor quality food! 

My worst experience eating out in Barcelona was at Gala Restaurant. The place is beautifully decorated, but the food and the service were the worst I have ever had! So, I do not recommend that you go there! 

Price of Transportation in Barcelona

Barcelona is an extremely walkable city, and if you are staying in the city center, you most likely don’t need to use public transportation.

If you do need public transportation in Barcelona, it is actually one of the less-expensive sides of visiting Barcelona!

And public transportation in Barcelona is super easy to use!

For public transportation, you can buy:

• Single ticket: €2,90
• T-causal 10-trip card: €13
• Hola Barcelona Card: from €22

The Hola Barcelona Card gives you unlimited journeys by public transport for 48, 72, 96, or 120 hours. 

It’s a great option if you plan on using public transportation a lot, but if you’re like me and you also like to wander around and experience the city (and take pictures), then you’ll be perfectly fine with the cheaper 10-trip card, T-casual.

You can buy the T-usual card in the ticket machines at the train and metro stations in Barcelona.

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Insider Tips on Saving Money on Your Barcelona Trip 

Visiting Barcelona does not need to empty your bank account and credit cards!

After we have looked at how much it costs to visit Barcelona, and, yes, it can easily get really expensive! I also wanted to share some of my own tips on how to save money on your trip to Barcelona!  

So, here are some of my best insider tips on how to save money on your trip to Barcelona!

Stay Outside the City 

To save on accommodation in Barcelona, consider exploring the option of staying outside the city or in less-touristy areas for a night or two, or for your whole stay. 

Hotels in lesser-known areas are usually eager to get more visitors and offer more competitive prices. 

Visit Barcelona Off-Season

Barcelona is a popular summer travel destination, but have you ever considered visiting Barcelona in the winter? 

The city’s mild Mediterranean weather makes it perfect for a winter getaway. And the best thing is that prices on everything from attractions to accommodations are a lot more affordable in Barcelona in the winter!

Plan for the First Sunday of the Month 

Many of Barcelona’s museums offer free visits on the first Sunday of the month, so if you want to save on the entrance ticket, plan your trip around the beginning of the month. 

This offer includes popular museums like the Picasso Museum and the National Museum of Catalan Art, as well as more hidden gems, like Museu Frederic Marès and Horta’s Maze Park, which are also included in the free entrance offer. 

For the more popular places, you can reserve the tickets in advance on their website, and for the lesser-known places like Horta’s Maze Park, you simply show up at the door.

Explore Barcelona’s Free Things to Do

While Barcelona is expensive, there are still many free things to do in the city. 

Wandering the streets of Barcelona and admiring Gaudí’s impressive architecture from the outside, or getting lost in the narrow streets of Barcelona’s Old Town, is completely free of charge!

If you want to explore more off-the-beaten-path parts of Barcelona, then there are plenty of free public parks and hiking areas around the city. 

One of my favorite viewpoints in Barcelona is Parc del Guinardó, and it is completely free to visit!

Don’t Eat Out Every Night & Look for Lunch Menus 

A great way to keep the cost of visiting Barcelona down is also to not eat out every night! There are plenty of options for take-away, supermarket deals, and delivery.

Last time I visited Barcelona and stayed at my friend’s house, we had a cozy stay-at-home night with sushi from Ametller Origen, a high-end supermarket in Barcelona with many options for pre-made meals. 

Another saving tip for your trip to Barcelona is to look for the lunch offers, Menus del Día, where restaurants offer a fixed menu with a drink (and sometimes dessert) for a fixed low price.

If you really want to save money on meals in Barcelona, DO NOT eat on La Rambla – please! Just listen to me on this one! Most of the restaurants on La Rambla are not worth it and are complete tourist traps.  

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Is Visiting Barcelona Worth Its Price Tag?

There is no straight answer as to whether Barcelona is worth its price tag or not.

I believe a lot of it comes down to expectations! 

If your dream of Spain looks like traditional plazas, historic old towns, and colorful houses, then honestly, Barcelona might not be the best starting point for you. 

Cities like Seville, Córdoba, and Granada offer a much more “classic” Spanish experience at a significantly lower cost. You can stay in beautiful historic buildings, eat incredibly well, and visit world-class monuments for a fraction of what you’d pay in Barcelona.

Prices for accommodation, attractions, and even casual meals in tourist-heavy areas are noticeably higher in Barcelona than in many other Spanish cities. 

Barcelona is worth it if you’re drawn to world-class architecture, design, beaches, and a big-city Mediterranean vibe. 

But I recommend being honest with yourself about what kind of Spain you want to experience. 

Barcelona can quickly feel overpriced and underwhelming if you arrive hoping for small-town charm and budget-friendly travel!

Going to Barcelona?

Let me know in the comments below if you’re planning a trip to Barcelona or decided not to go because Barcelona is expensive!

Continue reading about Barcelona with my Barcelona travel guides:

• Hidden Gems in Barcelona
• Winter in Barcelona
• Best Day Trips from Barcelona
• The Ultimate Guide to Casa Batlló
• Visiting Inside Palau de la Música Catalana
• Street Art in Poblenou