Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ancona and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ancona: $1,623 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ancona
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Ancona Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ancona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,623

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,623 per month in Ancona vs $2,405 in Barcelona, rent included.

Ancona $1,623
Barcelona $2,405

A couple spends around $2,407 per month in Ancona vs $3,477 in Barcelona, rent included.

Ancona $2,407
Barcelona $3,477

A family of three spends $3,191 per month in Ancona vs $4,550 in Barcelona, rent included.

Ancona $3,191
Barcelona $4,550

Ancona is about 33% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ancona and Barcelona sit above the global median – Ancona by 21%, Barcelona by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.05

$17.98 €16.05

-6.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.6

$67.4 €60.2

17.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 €9.98

$13.37 €11.93

-16.31%

Cappuccino

$2.03 €1.81

$3.34 €2.98

-39.22%

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

$2.57 €2.29

$2.95 €2.64

-12.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.90 €1.69

-35.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 €4.98

$3.88 €3.46

43.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$4.57 €4.08

21.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.27 €1.13

-6.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.96 €1.75

15.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.75 €1.56

28.57%

Eggs

$2.85 €2.55

$4.89 €4.36

-41.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 €12.18

$17.47 €15.59

-21.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 €9.92

$9.06 €8.09

22.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.28 €15.42

$20.18 €18.01

-14.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 €2.09

$3.08 €2.75

-24.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.03 €1.81

-26.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$2.60 €2.32

-7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 €2.68

$2.71 €2.42

10.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.15 €1.92

-27.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.21 €1.97

-15.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.54 €1.38

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 €0.35

$0.93 €0.83

-58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.10

$7.09 €6.32

-3.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 €4.93

$7.63 €6.81

-27.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.49 €1.33

3.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.73 €2.43

-22.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$2.95 €2.63

-43.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.98 €34.78

$25.91 €23.13

50.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 €4.98

$3.13 €2.80

78.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.45 €1.29

17.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.30 €25.26

$34.17 €30.49

-17.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.79 €1.60

12.29%

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

$32.6K €29.1K

$34.7K €31.0K

-5.87%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$30.3K €27.0K

16.82%

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

$274 €244

$181 €161

51.63%

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

$14.08 €12.57

$13.56 €12.10

3.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.08 €32.20

$35.12 €31.34

2.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 €56.5

$53.2 €47.44

19.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.40

$16.05 €14.33

21.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.17

$11.37 €10.14

0.18%

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

$287 €256

$939 €838

-69.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 €77.1

$88.2 €78.7

-2.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.46 €28.08

$39.77 €35.49

-20.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 €81.3

$103 €92.3

-11.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 €89.2

$119 €107

-16.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 €537

$1,695 €1,513

-64.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 €423

$1,301 €1,161

-63.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 €812

$2,576 €2,299

-64.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 €592

$1,941 €1,732

-65.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,078 €2,746

$7,470 €6,666

-58.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,038 €1,819

$5,195 €4,636

-60.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,727 €1,541

$2,299 €2,052

-24.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-8.54%

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

Last update for Ancona: October 3, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ancona

$474 29.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 174% $826

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ancona

$324 20%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 29.2% $95

Groceries & Markets

Ancona

$290 17.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 11.9% $35

Eating Out

Ancona

$247 15.2%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 10.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Ancona

$139 8.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 13.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ancona

$86 5.3%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 11.8% $10

Getting Around

Ancona

$60 3.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 19.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $602 in Ancona 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 33% 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 $79.0 in Ancona versus $67.0 in Barcelona. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Ancona vs $325 in Barcelona – so Ancona wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ancona

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

Same time as Ancona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,861

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ancona Barcelona 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ancona
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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

Ancona vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,435 per month in Ancona and $3,607 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 50% less in Ancona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $287 per month in Ancona and $939 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ancona, where all-in costs run around $1,623, than in Barcelona at $2,405. In Ancona it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ancona – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Ancona. 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.