What income is needed to have a "decent" life in Barcelona?

• The gross monthly salary to live without financial strain in the Barcelona area is 1,891 gross euros
• A couple with two children needs about 2,326 gross euros to make ends meet
• Housing consumes up to 50% of the budget, and food up to a fifth

Salaries are not always enough to live without struggle. In fact, the term "working poor" has been used for some time, that is to say, workers who, despite having a job, do not make it to the end of the month. And the fact is that to be able to have a "dignified" life or one without suffocation in the Barcelona metropolitan area, one must earn at least 1,891 gross euros per month in 12 payments, but it is more if it is in the Catalan capital (2,020 euros) than in its metropolitan area (1,772 euros). In addition, different types of families also require different amounts. For example, a couple with two children, 2,326 euros; and a single-parent family, 2,680 euros, since it depends on a single salary, in both cases in the metropolitan area. These are the conclusions of the study Living Wage 2026 prepared by the public policy evaluation consultancies KSNET and the public strategy and management firm Daleph, which are part of the international Global Living Wage Movement.

The living wage, which is situated above the interprofessional minimum wage (SMI), currently at 1,424.50 gross euros per month in 12 payments, and even further from the poverty threshold (1,155 euros per month), is calculated using a standard called WageMap. It is the gross salary that a person working full-time must earn so that their family can live with dignity, eat healthily, pay the appropriate rent for a home and utilities, as well as commute, get dressed, educate their children, take care of their health, participate in social life, and have a small margin (5%) for unforeseen expenses.

The calculation takes into account policies that lower family expenses, such as subsidized public transport fares or the free second year of nursery school in Catalonia, among others. On the other hand, it does not deduct income-linked aid, such as the minimum vital income (IMV). In any case, a person earning the interprofessional minimum wage in the Barcelona area covers 77% of what they need. And a couple with two children, 82%. Furthermore, the living wage is between 1.2 and 1.5 times the at-risk-of-poverty threshold calculated by Idescat.

From Barcelona to Bilbao

Barcelona and its metropolitan area is the second area where more income is needed to have a "decent" life or one that allows you to make ends meet without struggling. The first is Madrid (2,061 euros); the third, Valencia (1,680); the fourth, Seville (1,668), and the fifth, Bilbao (1,645). The differences between areas are concentrated in housing, according to the study. In all cases, it is more expensive to live in the capital than in the surrounding area.

The major element that consumes around half of one's income or more is housing, explains María Sánchez, a partner at KSNET together with Elena Costas. For some time now, Sánchez explains, dedicating 30% of income to housing, which is the recommended proportion, "is impossible"; more so in the city of Barcelona, but the difficulty is spreading to the municipalities surrounding it. According to the study, "housing accounts for 55% of the budget for a single person and 37% for a couple with two children." Renting a one-bedroom apartment costs a monthly average of 951 euros in the Barcelona area, and a three-bedroom one, 1,214 euros. "This is what explains almost the entire difference between the city and the rest of the area. Considering all types of families, the living wage in the city of Barcelona is 13% higher. And there are also differences between large cities: in Madrid, it can account for up to 57% of the budget for a single person."

“The labor market has improved in recent years, but this has not translated into an equivalent reduction in poverty. The same salary does not provide the same standard of living everywhere, because rent varies greatly between cities and between the center and the periphery,” points out Sánchez. “Public policies must be aimed at lowering the cost of living, especially for people who do not make it to the end of the month,” adds Elena Costas. For Laia Pi, evaluation manager at Daleph, “indicators like the living wage show that economic needs of families must be measured at a regional, and even local, level.”

After housing, in all the metropolitan areas studied, the other most important expense for families is food, with a range going from 177 euros per month for a single person to 613 for a couple with two children, which accounts for between 11% and one-fifth of the budget, depending on the families. In fact, since what has become most expensive, besides housing, is the shopping basket, low and middle incomes are the ones that suffer the most, because it takes up a larger part of their income.

Utilities (water, electricity, gas), communications, and household equipment account for between 8% and 10%. In families with two children, education and childcare account for about 171 euros per month, a maximum of 6% of the budget. And transport accounts for between 2% and 3%, thanks to subsidized fares.