Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $552 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$552

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $552 per month in Arusha vs $2,381 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arusha $552
Barcelona $2,381

A couple spends around $887 per month in Arusha vs $3,406 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arusha $887
Barcelona $3,406

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Arusha vs $4,431 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arusha $1,222
Barcelona $4,431

Arusha is about 77% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arusha sits 59% below the global median, while Barcelona is 76% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$17.89 €15.92

-81.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.75 TZS 70.1K

$66.2 €58.9

-59.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

$13.69 €12.18

-32.80%

Cappuccino

$1.66 TZS 4,356

$3.06 €2.72

-45.75%

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

$0.87 TZS 2,284

$3.07 €2.73

-71.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 842

$1.94 €1.73

-83.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 TZS 2,659

$3.87 €3.44

-73.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 TZS 7,351

$4.61 €4.10

-39.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 TZS 2,578

$1.30 €1.16

-24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 TZS 1,773

$2.10 €1.87

-67.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 TZS 4,344

$1.83 €1.62

-9.29%

Eggs

$1.74 TZS 4,552

$4.62 €4.11

-62.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 TZS 6,066

$3.01 €2.68

-22.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 TZS 2,039

$2.87 €2.55

-72.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,284

$2.16 €1.92

-77.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 TZS 2,795

$2.15 €1.91

-50.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 TZS 2,046

$0.88 €0.79

-11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 TZS 3,927

$6.93 €6.16

-78.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 TZS 2,563

$1.39 €1.24

-29.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 TZS 2,387

$2.63 €2.34

-65.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 496

$2.91 €2.59

-93.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 TZS 19.7K

$33.20 €29.53

-77.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 TZS 3,441

$1.86 €1.65

-29.57%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

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

$31.7K €28.2K

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

$27.94 TZS 73.2K

$183 €163

-84.71%

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

$8.62 TZS 22.6K

$13.61 €12.11

-36.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.26 TZS 121.1K

$32.93 €29.29

40.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.2 TZS 170.7K

$54.7 €48.65

19.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

$11.23 €9.99

-58.15%

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

$954 €849

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,477 TZS 19.6M

$16.6K €14.8K

-54.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 TZS 727.8K

$1,695 €1,508

-83.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 TZS 626.7K

$1,276 €1,135

-81.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 TZS 1.3M

$2,576 €2,291

-80.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 TZS 1.4M

$1,922 €1,710

-72.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Arusha: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arusha

$239 43.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 433% $1K

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 201% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$83 15%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 177% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 3.5% $2.6

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$65 * 11.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 397% $260

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 6125% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Arusha 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha versus $66.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $65.0 vs $325 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

1 h behind Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

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

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arusha Barcelona 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
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

Arusha vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $552 in Arusha, $2,381 in Barcelona – roughly 331% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $829 per month in Arusha 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 Arusha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha and $66.0 in Barcelona. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $552 in Arusha and $2,381 in Barcelona. That's a gap of about 331%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Barcelona at $2,381. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $552 in Arusha to $2,381 in Barcelona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Arusha. 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.