Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Arrest: $1,800 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,800

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,800 in Arrest versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Arrest $1,800
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,757 in Arrest versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Arrest $2,757
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,713 in Arrest versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Arrest $3,713
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Arrest costs roughly 27% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arrest 32% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.11

$17.59 €15.80

-4.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.5

$67.5 €60.6

-16.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.90

$13.53 €12.15

-2.14%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.19 €2.87

-6.90%

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

$3.05 €2.74

$2.91 €2.62

4.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.89 €1.70

10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.52 €7.66

$4.01 €3.60

112.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €5.00

$4.53 €4.07

22.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.31 €1.17

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.52

$2.02 €1.81

-16.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$1.85 €1.66

34.59%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.52

$4.83 €4.34

-18.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 €9.05

$16.74 €15.03

-39.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.03 €10.80

$9.12 €8.19

31.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 €14.30

$19.64 €17.64

-18.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.98 €2.68

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 €2.72

$2.02 €1.81

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.70 €2.43

-45.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.78

$2.80 €2.52

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.65

$2.09 €1.87

-12.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.07 €1.86

0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.46 €1.31

10.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 €0.14

$0.94 €0.84

-82.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 €11.35

$6.87 €6.17

83.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.99

$7.89 €7.08

-29.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.41 €1.26

1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.43

$2.54 €2.28

-37.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.74

$3.14 €2.82

-38.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €45.31

$25.45 €22.86

98.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.99 €2.69

-24.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.03

$1.49 €1.34

-23.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.61 €29.30

$33.37 €29.98

-2.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.80 €1.61

20.56%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$33.2K €29.8K

5.12%

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

$35.8K €32.2K

$31.7K €28.5K

13.01%

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

$200 €180

$180 €162

10.87%

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

$32.60 €29.28

$13.84 €12.43

135.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.74 €28.51

$33.70 €30.27

-5.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.19 €36.10

$51.5 €46.27

-21.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 €13.91

$10.99 €9.88

40.86%

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

$889 €799

$917 €823

-2.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,481

$16.5K €14.8K

-35.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 €116

$87.0 €78.2

48.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.35 €41.63

$38.51 €34.59

20.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 €88.8

$106 €95.1

-6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 €142

$120 €108

32.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 €741

$1,699 €1,527

-51.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 €563

$1,355 €1,217

-53.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 €1,380

$2,603 €2,338

-40.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,042

$2,062 €1,853

-43.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,727 €3,348

$6,915 €6,211

-46.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,368 €3,026

$5,128 €4,606

-34.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

3.28

18.90%

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

Last update for Arrest: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arrest

$626 34.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 116% $729

Groceries & Markets

Arrest

$293 16.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 9.8% $29

Eating Out

Arrest

$284 15.8%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 5.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arrest

$264 14.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 13.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Arrest

$195 10.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 18.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Arrest

$71 4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 3.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Arrest

$66 3.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 26.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $825 in Arrest and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Arrest vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $322 per month, with Arrest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Arrest

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

Same time as Arrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arrest Barcelona 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arrest
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

Arrest vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arrest is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,700 in Arrest and $3,679 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $825 in Arrest versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $889 in Arrest versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Arrest and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.