Below are the forms of transportation for Barcelona, Spain. The breakdowns of costs and other information may not pertain to any other region or countries, but I thought it would be helpful to see the expenses in a European city and our method for choosing the right form of transportation for us.
Metro
This is the European equivalent to our subway systems in the U.S.
For a family of four, living within the city, this seems to be the best means of transportation. Barcelona has one of the best metro systems in the world and it was easy to understand once we got used to it.
Tickets for 30 days cost €52.75 which translates to $61.72. This is what we bought on our survey trip. This allowed us to travel within Zone 1 of Barcelona. We bought 2 tickets and our 1 1/2-year-old daughter was free.
If you’re taking a metro from the airport into the city, then you have to buy a ticket before boarding. This ticket is separate from the single, weekly, monthly and yearly passes. Even if you’re there for only two weeks I suggest getting the month pass. You’ll easily swipe your pass 10 times in one day so buying an unlimited number of passes for a month is better than only buying 90 passes for two weeks. If you choose not to get it at the airport metro center, then you can get it at a kiosk that stands in almost every metro station. No matter where you buy it, if you’re buying a long-term ticket, you’ll need your passport for an identification number. This number is used for verification purposes if you lose your pass.
Unlimited passes for 90 days costs €142 which is $166.14. So total for a family of four (four tickets total) to ride the metro for three months it comes to $221.52 (189.33€) per month for transportation. This does include some sky lifts and the bus system. All-in-all, it’s a great deal if you’re living in the city.
Gas
The other two means of transportation require gas so I will go ahead and break down the cost of that before moving on to the average prices of vehicles. At the time of this article, gas costs €1.26 per liter (1/4 gallon). So, a gallon of gas costs €5.04 or (in US Dollars) $5.76. As with most things, the US Dollar amount fluctuates based on the exchange rate. It is also worth mentioning that widely used fuel source is diesel and I currently don't have a price base for that.
Here’s a link to look up fuel costs: https://www.expatistan.com/price/gas/barcelona-spain
Mopeds
I don't have any information on mopeds but I thought they would be worth mentioning since they're certainly a popular option in the city.
Cars
The cost of a Volkswagen, four-door family car, with no extras, is €18,334 which is $21,450. I’m not sure how loans work in Spain or if you can even get one as a foreigner but either way, the monthly and outright costs should be a consideration. There’s also going to be a monthly cost of insurance.
With the gas being as high as it is, the total monthly cost of a vehicle is more than the metro tickets. As I said before, if you live in the city of Barcelona, the metro is most likely the best form of transportation.
I think it would be worth looking into, on a survey trip, the cost of a used vehicle at various dealerships. This would help lend some perspective to what you can purchase and the prices associated with purchasing used.
I know this information may not be entirely applicable to other missionaries but I hope the concept of this article helps.