Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alessandria and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Alessandria: $1,616 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Alessandria
Learn more

Alessandria Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Alessandria

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,616

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alessandria 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 Alessandria and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,616 in Alessandria versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Alessandria $1,616
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,429 in Alessandria versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Alessandria $2,429
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,243 in Alessandria versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Alessandria $3,243
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Alessandria costs roughly 33% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alessandria 20% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.44 €15.51

$17.94 €15.96

-2.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.4

$68.1 €60.5

-0.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 €9.83

$13.28 €11.81

-16.79%

Cappuccino

$1.83 €1.63

$3.25 €2.89

-43.69%

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

$3.11 €2.77

$3.01 €2.67

3.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.87 €1.66

-39.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.56 €4.06

$3.85 €3.42

18.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.04

$4.48 €3.98

1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.29 €1.15

24.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.04 €1.81

13.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.72 €1.53

53.49%

Eggs

$3.75 €3.34

$4.77 €4.24

-21.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.84 €14.09

$16.77 €14.92

-5.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 €8.95

$8.93 €7.94

12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.27 €18.03

$19.88 €17.68

1.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.98 €2.65

-21.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.03 €1.80

-10.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.45

$2.73 €2.43

1.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.68 €2.38

2.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.10 €1.87

-26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.08 €1.85

-21.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.45 €1.29

22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$0.89 €0.79

-42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.00

$6.94 €6.17

-2.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 €3.89

$7.78 €6.92

-43.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.45 €1.29

10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.57 €2.29

-10.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.99 €2.66

-29.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.2 €68.7

$25.20 €22.41

206.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 €4.82

$3.12 €2.77

73.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.44 €1.28

52.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$63.4 €56.4

$33.50 €29.80

89.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.79 €1.59

19.55%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

6.19%

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

$35.5K €31.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

17.94%

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

$252 €224

$178 €158

41.47%

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

$10.18 €9.06

$13.32 €11.85

-23.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.50 €25.35

$34.88 €31.03

-18.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.45 €35.09

$53.3 €47.37

-25.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.61 €29.90

$16.01 €14.24

109.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 €8.03

$11.06 €9.84

-18.35%

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

$508 €452

$957 €851

-46.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,621 €5,000

$16.6K €14.7K

-66.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 €84.0

$88.2 €78.4

7.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 €44.75

$39.49 €35.12

27.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 €84.3

$103 €91.5

-7.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 €143

$121 €108

32.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 €397

$1,653 €1,470

-73.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 €382

$1,302 €1,158

-67.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 €663

$2,557 €2,275

-70.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 €539

$1,915 €1,703

-68.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,270 €2,019

$7,286 €6,481

-68.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,415 €1,259

$5,080 €4,519

-72.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,826 €1,624

$2,281 €2,029

-19.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.28

-3.05%

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

Last update for Alessandria: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alessandria

$429 26.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 203% $872

Groceries & Markets

Alessandria

$313 19.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 2.1% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alessandria

$290 18%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 22.1% $64

Eating Out

Alessandria

$243 15.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 10.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Alessandria

$180 11.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 12% $22

Getting Around

Alessandria

$102 6.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 53.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Alessandria

$58 3.6%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 31.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $446 in Alessandria and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 25% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Alessandria vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $320 per month, with Alessandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Alessandria

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

Same time as Alessandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,987

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alessandria Barcelona 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Alessandria
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

Alessandria vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alessandria and Barcelona differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,616 vs $2,399 including rent). Alessandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $446 in Alessandria versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $508 in Alessandria versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,616 in Alessandria versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Alessandria but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Alessandria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Alessandria and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Alessandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.