Quality of life has value
FIRE is not only about the fastest possible date. It is also about what kind of life your money is buying you.
Barcelona often enters the conversation because the lifestyle value feels high relative to many alternatives.
Housing still needs respect
Rent pressure and neighborhood variation can change the cost picture more than broad country averages suggest.
That makes city-specific planning more useful than generic Spain-based estimates.
Build a plan you would want to keep
If you imagine Barcelona as your long-term base, your budget should leave room for the things that make it appealing.
A FIRE target that excludes the life you actually want is just a distorted number.