Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akita and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Akita: $1,213 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Akita
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Akita Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Akita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,213

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Akita and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Akita and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,213 per month in Akita vs $2,381 in Barcelona, rent included.

Akita $1,213
Barcelona $2,381

A couple spends around $1,904 per month in Akita vs $3,406 in Barcelona, rent included.

Akita $1,904
Barcelona $3,406

A family of three spends $2,596 per month in Akita vs $4,431 in Barcelona, rent included.

Akita $2,596
Barcelona $4,431

Akita is about 49% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Akita sits 11% below the global median, while Barcelona is 76% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.21 ¥981

$17.89 €15.92

-65.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.98 ¥5,052

$66.2 €58.9

-51.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥775

$13.69 €12.18

-64.21%

Cappuccino

$3.54 ¥559

$3.06 €2.72

15.69%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$3.07 €2.73

-67.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$1.94 €1.73

-58.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 ¥306

$3.87 €3.44

-50.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ¥493

$4.61 €4.10

-32.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.30 €1.16

16.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥252

$2.10 €1.87

-24.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 ¥650

$1.83 €1.62

124.59%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥323

$4.62 €4.11

-55.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ¥1,610

$17.36 €15.44

-41.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ¥1,031

$9.28 €8.25

-29.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 ¥2,565

$19.83 €17.64

-18.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 ¥573

$3.01 €2.68

20.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ¥355

$2.03 €1.81

10.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥448

$2.65 €2.36

6.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 ¥663

$2.87 €2.55

46.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ¥384

$2.16 €1.92

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥392

$2.15 €1.91

15.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.47 €1.31

-12.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.88 €0.79

-7.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 ¥634

$6.93 €6.16

-42.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 ¥1,039

$7.83 €6.96

-15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.39 €1.24

35.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥327

$2.63 €2.34

-21.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥239

$2.91 €2.59

-48.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.0 ¥8,525

$25.46 €22.64

111.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥503

$3.00 €2.66

6.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ¥440

$1.44 €1.28

93.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$33.20 €29.53

-44.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.86 €1.65

-29.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$32.3K €28.8K

-32.95%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$31.7K €28.2K

-52.19%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$135 ¥21.3K

$183 €163

-26.36%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.50 ¥3,871

$13.61 €12.11

80.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.46 ¥4,971

$32.93 €29.29

-4.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,332

$54.7 €48.65

-3.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 ¥1,870

$11.23 €9.99

5.43%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$507 ¥80.1K

$954 €849

-46.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$16.6K €14.8K

-23.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.47 ¥6,552

$86.0 €76.5

-51.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.21 ¥7,301

$39.11 €34.78

18.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 ¥13.4K

$104 €92.2

-18.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ¥13.9K

$119 €106

-25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.1K

$1,695 €1,508

-68.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.1K

$1,276 €1,135

-73.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 ¥172.1K

$2,576 €2,291

-57.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.1K

$1,922 €1,710

-62.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,173 ¥659.3K

$7,281 €6,477

-42.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,782 ¥281.5K

$5,010 €4,456

-64.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,613 ¥254.9K

$2,227 €1,981

-27.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

3.28

-32.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Akita: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Akita

$336 27.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 280% $940

Groceries & Markets

Akita

$285 23.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 13.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akita

$191 15.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 20.3% $39

Eating Out

Akita

$130 10.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 108% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Akita

$117 9.7%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 33.4% $39

Getting Around

Akita

$77 6.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 38.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Akita

$76 6.3%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Akita versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 38% higher in Barcelona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Akita versus $66.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $325 – making Akita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Akita

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

16:24 4:24 PM

7 h behind Akita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,672

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Akita Barcelona 10,050 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Akita
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Akita vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 96% more than Akita, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,819 per month in Akita and $3,571 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Akita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 112% less in Akita. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Akita and $954 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Akita, where all-in costs run around $1,213, than in Barcelona at $2,381. In Akita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Akita costs $1,213 versus $2,381 in Barcelona. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Akita. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.