Barcelona, the vibrant city and capital of Catalonia, is a destination that offers endless possibilities for travelers. From magnificent architecture and breathtaking buildings to delicious tapas, our trip to this beautiful city was nothing short of extraordinary. In this blog post, we’ll give you our budget breakdown for 5 days in Barcelona. This will give you an idea of how much it cost us to experience the city, and hopefully giving you some tips on how to save some euros during your own trip.
How much did our trip to Barcelona in May 2022 cost? Here’s our budget breakdown for 5 days in Barcelona:
Flights
Booking our flight tickets via Ryanair seemed to be the best choice for us. They had the best flight times – arrive early, return late. We decided to pack light and bring only hand luggage. The price we paid was fair but could have been lower if we had booked the tickets further in advance. One downside we encountered was the additional fees that Ryanair charges for everything, which left us with the impression that we may not book with them again in the future. Our total cost for the flights was € 249,96. This is an acceptable price but not low enough for us to overlook Ryanair’s additional charges in the future.
In order to score the best flights, we highly recommend using a flight aggregator like WayAway. WayAway searches flight fares of all major airlines so you don’t have to! That way you’ll definitely get the best price available.
Total cost of flights: € 249,96
Accommodation
For our stay in Barcelona, we rented a “digital nomad design loft” via Airbnb which was located near the Arc de Triomf. While the place had potential, it was a bit underwhelming and outdated (and don’t get us started on the cockroaches 😳). This location was perfect for the summer as it was a short walk to the park of the Arc de Triomf. However, we wouldn’t recommend it for first timers as it was a bit far from the city center where all the “tourist spots” are located. We believe that it is possible to find accommodation that is either more affordable in the same location, or better located for a similar cost.
Looking for good and affordable accommodation in Barcelona? Try out the search bar below to see what’s available!
Total cost of accommodation for 4 nights: € 649,50
Transportation
We chose to rely mostly on taxis in Barcelona. The reason for this is that we didn’t have the greatest weather (it even rained the whole day on Kelvin’s birthday). In addition, our accommodation wasn’t close to most things we wanted to visit. We didn’t use Uber in Barcelona, but used the local variant Cabify which was a great alternative (and a little cheaper than Uber too).
Total cost of transportation: € 182,87
Food
Food is always a highlight of any of our trips and Barcelona did not disappoint. From casual tapas bars to fine dining restaurants, we relished in a variety of delicious Spanish cuisine. Despite trying many different restaurants and special dishes, we were surprised that our food expenses totaled only € 352,20. We tried so many different restaurants, special dishes, sometimes ordered 5 or 6 courses before heading to the next restaurant, so we thought this category would top the list! Barcelona is a food lover’s paradise, with prices being very reasonable and we are all for it.
Total cost of food: € 352,20
▶️ Read all about our favorite restaurants and favorite brunch hotspots in Barcelona.
Drinks
The vibrant and trendy cocktail scene in Barcelona is not to be missed. We visited a number of bars during our trip, including a speakeasy disguised as a pastrami shop, and enjoyed sangria while taking in the stunning view of La Sagrada Familia. This category includes expenses for drinks only, and not including drinks ordered with meals (those have been added in the Food-category). We spent € 61,50 on drinks. We’ve come to the same conclusion as we did for the food in Barcelona. Drinks, whether they’re wine, sangria or cocktails, are very reasonably priced and of very high quality!
Total cost of drinks: € 61,50
Curious where to find the speakeasy we are talking about? Or wondering where you can find these insane views of La Sagrada Familia? Read all about the coolest bars in Barcelona.
Sightseeing
To see the main attractions, we purchased tickets for the hop-on-hop-off bus for one day. This allowed us to easily visit all the major sights in Barcelona in one day. We also bought tickets to Park Güell and the MOCO Museum, both of which we highly recommend. Despite many cultural visits and attractions being free in Barcelona, we still spent € 127,50 on sightseeing. Reason for this is that the hop-on-hop-off bus is really expensive. If you’re looking to cut costs and save money we recommend not buying tickets for it. Public transportation (or even walking) is a better alternative. We feel a little disappointed in ourselves for falling for a tourist trap like this.
The best way to experience all Barcelona has to offer is by using GetYourGuide. They have tons and tons of fun, interesting, and unique activities in Barcelona. We’re sure they have something for you, too!
Total cost of sightseeing: € 127,50
Other
This category includes miscellaneous expenses such as buying water and snacks at a supermarket, souvenirs, and paying € 20 to store our luggage on the last day. The total cost for these came out to € 37,36.
Total cost of other expenses: € 37,36
Total of our 5 days in Barcelona
Here is our budget breakdown for 5 days in Barcelona in May 2022:
Total per category for the two of us
✈️ Flights: € 249,96
🛏️ Accommodation: € 649,50 (€ 162,38 per night)
🚕 Transportation: € 182,87 (€ 36,57 per day)
🍤 Food: € 352,20 (€ 70,44 per day)
🍷 Drinks: € 61,50 (€ 12,30 per day)
⛲️ Sightseeing: € 127,50 (€ 25,50 per day)
🛍️ Other: € 37,36 (€ 7,47 per day)
💰 Total excluding flights: € 1 410,93 | € 282,19 per day for 2 | € 141,09 per day per person
💰 Total including flights: € 1 660,89
If we exclude the cost of our flights, we spent € 282,19 per day for two people. This amounts to € 141,09 per day per person. We are quite shocked by this amount! Our biggest cost is our accommodation, we are convinced that we could’ve found a cheaper accommodation. We believe you can visit Barcelona in a cheaper way. A reasonable daily budget per person (mid-range) would be around € 100.
As we look back on our time in this beautiful city, the memories and experiences we made are priceless. From visiting multiple restaurants a day to wandering around the beautiful streets of Barcelona with its vibrant and bustling tapestry of culture and history, we relished every moment of our trip and can’t wait to go back one day!
Tips and tricks for saving money in Barcelona
Now, although this was one of our cheapest trips yet, we still want to offer some recommendations on saving money while in Barcelona:
1. Accommodation
This tip is probably the opposite of what you’d expect, but it shows how much of a difference your accommodation can make (as it did with us). We recommend choosing accommodation as close to the city center as possible, especially if you’re a first timer. Accommodation in Barcelona is pretty affordable. Being close to all major attractions will save you money on transportation (whether it’s taxi or public transport). You’ll be able to walk to everything, as most of the things you’ll want to visit are really close to each other. Our recommendation: the Ciutat Vella district (that includes some of the best neighborhoods like El Born, Barri Gòtic, La Rambla,…).
2. Transportation (part 1)
If you’re staying in the city center, the need for other means of transportation other than by foot diminishes ten-fold. You’ll be able to walk to almost every attraction (exception: Park Güell) like we already mentioned in our previous tip. The public transport in Barcelona is really extensive and integrates bus, metro, trams, commuter trains and even railways. We recommend buying a T-10-card for around € 10. You get 10 trips on any of the options, and the card can be used by more than one person.
3. Transportation (part 2)
When we first landed in Barcelona and were heading to our hotel, we waited in line outside the airport. We then got in a black-and-yellow taxi, which took us to our hotel for around € 30. To get back to the airport, we were also planning on taking a taxi. Fortunately, we came across the Aerobus. It is a shuttle bus to and from the airport that costs less than € 6 per ticket. With this tip, we saved around € 20 (or 60%) of what we normally would pay for a cab! The Aerobes leaves from multiple places in Barcelona, and will drop you off at T1 or T2. Don’t sleep on this!
Read our other budget breakdowns:
5 days in Paris: Budget Breakdown
5 days in Budapest: Budget Breakdown
6 days in Rome: Budget Breakdown
5 week US road trip: Budget Breakdown
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