Did you know that you can save more than 50% off your total expenses when you try coliving in Barcelona?
This is in comparison if you just rent a 1-bedroom apartment with a sala, dining area, and fully functional kitchen. And nope, that does not include the expenses for your utility bills like WIFI, electricity, and gas.
Hence, coliving spaces in Barcelona are becoming more and more popular between digital nomads, students, and expats.
In this article, we’ll show you how much money you can save by choosing a coliving instead of the traditional way of living in Europe’s capital of culture.
Barcelona: An Overview
Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia and one of the largest and most populated cities in Spain.
It boasts beautiful architecture, lively parties, good food, and long beaches. People who travel and live in Barcelona also enjoy great weather all year round.
Besides all of the things mentioned above, one of the main reasons nomads like to stay long-term in Barcelona is the culture and community that can be found there.
The only downside we see here is that that kind of lifestyle can be pretty expensive. That is why it is so important to look for good deals while searching for your accommodation around the place, without compromising the quality of the living experience.
Cost of Living in Barcelona
Before we dive deep into how much you’ll save by coliving in Barcelona, let’s figure out first how much it costs to live comfortably in the city.
We will talk over different expenses you will encounter during your long-term stay.
Rent
Let’s start with rent since that is the largest expense and the one you cannot go around.
In Barcelona, you can get a nice 1-bedroom apartment from €700 to €900 per month depending on which part of the city you rent.
Barcelona is a big city, so location is an important factor. Cheaper options probably mean more need for public transportation, thus more money to get to important locations in the city.
Also, the above price range is something you will find if you know where to look. Most websites show a range of €625 for an 18 sqm studio apartment to €1700 for a 50 sqm 1-bedroom apartment. And for most of the listings, the basic utility bills are not included in these prices.
Utilities
When it comes to basic utilities such as electricity, heating, and water, be prepared to spend around €125 and €250. The cost depends on the square footage of the apartment, as well as on how much you spend.
Wifi
In today’s world, having internet access is super important. If you are a digital nomad or a remote worker, wifi will be one of the most important things to sort out.
With most rentals, the wifi is not included in the price, and it costs another €40 – €50 a month. If you are lucky, the apartment will have the wifi already installed, and you will only pay the monthly fee.
We say this because, oftentimes, if you are looking for longer stays, you will have to be the one responsible for contracting with the internet provider and setting up the wifi. This can be especially tricky since most contracts are written for 12 months.
Total
Keeping all the above in mind, the average total monthly cost of living in Barcelona would range from €865 to €1200 only for rent and utilities.
Of course, if you’re looking for longer stays, you will probably look to invest in more than just the basics.
First, if you’re working remotely, you will need a solid working area that might not be available at your accommodation. In that case, you will need to book a place in a co-working or rent an office that will add at least a few hundred euros more to your monthly costs.
Also, if you’re looking to participate in sport and leisure activities, you will have the costs of monthly memberships.
All these additional expenses that are necessary for a healthy and productive life can come up to €2500 monthly.
Having all these needs of a digital nomad in mind, the idea of the co-living concept was born. With this concept, you now have access to much more than only basics for much less money.
Coliving Barcelona
Coliving is a modern concept of renting that allows you to share a space with a community without the usual stress in renting – utility expenses, daily cleaning, furnishing the space, dividing bills, etc.
Furthermore, most coliving spaces in Barcelona give you the option to share a space with people who share the same drive, passion, and career path as you.
Since the main topic of this article is how much you would save by coliving in Barcelona, we will solely concentrate on that segment of coliving.
If you’re interested in reading more about the benefits of coliving other than saving money, we are preparing an article that will come out in February, so be sure to leave us your email so we can let you know when it does.
But for now, let’s focus on this, how much money can you save when you choose coliving spaces in Barcelona instead of renting the whole apartment to yourself?
Rent
Once again, we will start with renting. When you rent a private bedroom in coliving spaces in Barcelona, it will cost you a range from €600 to €1200 per month. You can go even lower if you go with a bed in a shared room.
At first glance, this may not seem any less than standard renting. However, the main difference is that renting a room in a coliving includes all those extra expenses in the price. Focused on the modern working people, the room price almost always includes other necessities for your life and work.
Let’s break those extras down.
Wifi
First, you do not have to worry about the internet since that is included in every coliving space.
Coliving spaces are primarily for digital nomads, remote workers, students, etc., all groups that need a steady internet connection in their daily lives.
As we already mentioned, in regular renting, you would have to add an extra €40 – €50 a month, were in colivings, this is already calculated into your room price.
Let’s see what else comes into this price.
Utilities
The same goes for utility costs that are already included in the price, so you do not have to think about that either.
When renting an apartment, the utility costs differ depending not only on the size of your place but also on how much you spend. In colivings, you pay your rent upfront, and there is no additional payment when the utility bills come in. It’s exactly what you paid, and you do not have to worry about it.
Cleaning Service
Cleaning service is something that you will get only in hotels or luxury apartments. If you are trying to save money, you will probably not be hiring a cleaning person for your place.
However, coliving has this service included in your price. Even if this is not necessary, it is a premium extra that adds value to the price of your room.
Working Space/Office
Furthermore, if you’re a student, freelancer, or digital nomad, you’ll most likely need a space where you can focus on your work. This place needs to have a fast internet connection, a healthy working environment, and be conducive and work-focused.
In most cases, when you are renting a regular apartment, something like this isn’t included.
Do we usually work when we’re in a hotel or small apartment, on a small desk with no one around? Most often than not, we don’t. People love working in spacious areas where they can be motivated and inspired to work. To afford something like that, you would need to rent a desk or pay for office space.
The prices for renting a desk in regular coworking spaces go from €99 to €380 on monthly basis, whereas having a private office is way more expensive and can go anywhere from €800.
Luckily, coliving spaces in Barcelona provide you with this amenity included in your monthly rent.
Having in mind that most people must work to afford traveling or nomadism, coliving spaces almost always have designated working areas with fast internet connections, office chairs, desks, and sometimes even more.
Having an office space sorted out is a huge plus, and it is worth the costs even if you rent the most expensive coliving option.
Other Amenities
Another thing to take note of is that when you live in Barcelona for more than a month, there are activities you would want to stay consistent with. You will probably want to engage in some social or sports and leisure activities so you would feel healthy and balanced.
Most traditional apartments do not have any activities or amenities included in the rental price. If you rent a place in a luxurious building complex, you might have access to their pool or a gym. However, the rent in those kinds of complexes is really high.
The above is another great example of how you can save money and make the most of your stay by choosing coliving in Barcelona instead of renting an apartment. Most places offer some additional coliving activities for their visitors. If not activities, many of them have a pool area, a gym, or a space where you can work out undisturbed. Some colivings offer free yoga classes, some offer free wine tasting classes, etc.
For example, Kalart has vegetarian meals included, yoga, and workout programs into their price. CoImpact coliving offers seminars and skills sharing activities, and Coasis has a gym and beach access included in the price, and many more activities to choose from.
Let’s take a better look by doing another round of comparisons. The average monthly membership in a gym is €35 per month, while yoga is €50 per month. Note that these memberships usually have the most basic inclusions.
With coliving, in some cases, you do not have to pay for any of that, since it is included in the price. And even if some programs or activities cost extra, as a coliver you will get special offers.
For easier perception, we created a table, where we broke down all these costs.
Coliving Options in Barcelona
This co-living lifestyle is not new to Barcelona, even the whole of Spain. You’ll see tens of options to enjoy your stay in the country.
In fact, we even wrote an article about why Spain should be your first coliving experience. It’s a booming movement in Spain since most people can find a place for themselves where their lifestyle fits and thrives.
Whether you’re a creative entrepreneur, fitness guru, or striving student, you’ll find a community in Barcelona where you can blend in. It is more than just renting. They say it gives you a sense of community where you’re inspired to be your best self.
There are even more amenities included with coliving in Barcelona apart from what we listed above. Most coliving spaces in Barcelona provide an edge that will fit your personality – gatherings, networking, seminars, memberships, and more.
It’s best to look out for a space where your personality fits the most.
Your coliving in Barcelona will not only save you time and money but also make your stay worthwhile.
Conclusion
Coliving Barcelona gives you the best of both worlds.
We showed you that you could save money by choosing coliving compared to traditional renting in Spain – even up to 60% off the usual renting expenses.
Not just that, you also get to experience more when you are coliving in Barcelona, like less stress and hassle in cleaning your whole apartment, easily meeting new friends, learning new things.
Coliving spaces have so many extra features that you would only get in luxurious stays, but for much less money and in a much friendlier and more people-focused environment.
We hope this article helped you! If you want more tips from us, you can subscribe to our newsletter. We usually post new tips about coliving in Spain every other week. 🙂
Besides that, we just recently started a new segment on our website dedicated to coliving. We are interviewing coliving owners all across Spain so you could find out more about the whole concept.
Looking forward to your next adventure!
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Secure yourself the best coliving experience
- italki – Why not learn some Spanish before your trip and make your coliving even better? italki is the perfect platform for that, where more than 3500 native speakers are waiting to help you with your Spanish.
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