Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balzan and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Balzan: $1,939 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Balzan, Malta
Barcelona, Spain
Balzan
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,939
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,939 per month in Balzan vs $2,453 in Barcelona, rent included.

  • Balzan $1,939
  • Barcelona $2,453

A couple spends around $2,927 per month in Balzan vs $3,509 in Barcelona, rent included.

  • Balzan $2,927
  • Barcelona $3,509

A family of three spends $3,915 per month in Balzan vs $4,564 in Barcelona, rent included.

  • Balzan $3,915
  • Barcelona $4,564

Balzan is about 21% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Balzan and Barcelona sit above the global median – Balzan by 42%, Barcelona by 80%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Balzan
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.68 €16.73
$17.59 €15.75
6.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.1 €81.6
$67.5 €60.5
34.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.10 €10.84
$13.53 €12.12
-10.57%
Cappuccino
$3.09 €2.76
$3.19 €2.86
-3.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.73
$2.91 €2.61
-33.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 €0.92
$1.89 €1.70
-45.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.26 €2.92
$4.01 €3.59
-18.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 €2.19
$4.53 €4.06
-45.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Balzan
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.12
$1.31 €1.17
-4.58%
White Bread (500g)
$0.97 €0.87
$2.02 €1.81
-51.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.52 €3.16
$1.85 €1.66
90.27%
Eggs
$4.30 €3.85
$4.83 €4.33
-10.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 €9.23
$16.74 €14.99
-38.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.10 €8.15
$9.12 €8.17
-0.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.40 €11.10
$19.64 €17.59
-36.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.64 €2.37
$2.98 €2.67
-11.41%
Banana (1kg)
$2.04 €1.83
$2.02 €1.81
0.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.68 €1.51
$2.70 €2.42
-37.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 €1.03
$2.80 €2.51
-58.93%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 €0.77
$2.09 €1.87
-58.85%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 €0.81
$2.07 €1.85
-56.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.85 €0.76
$1.46 €1.31
-41.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 €0.89
$0.94 €0.84
5.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.09 €5.46
$6.87 €6.15
-11.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.02 €5.39
$7.89 €7.06
-23.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.41 €1.26
-24.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 €1.34
$2.54 €2.27
-41.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Balzan
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.01 €2.70
$3.14 €2.82
-4.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$25.45 €22.79
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.23 €2.00
$2.99 €2.68
-25.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.76 €1.58
$1.49 €1.34
18.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.03 €28.69
$33.37 €29.89
-4.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 €1.36
$1.80 €1.61
-15.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.5K €24.6K
$33.2K €29.7K
-17.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K €28.9K
$31.7K €28.4K
1.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balzan
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$154 €138
$180 €162
-14.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.90 €17.82
$13.84 €12.39
43.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.97 €25.95
$33.70 €30.18
-14.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Balzan
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.6 €65.9
$51.5 €46.13
42.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.96 €14.29
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.40 €10.21
$10.99 €9.85
3.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Balzan
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$280 €250
$917 €821
-69.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K €10.9K
$16.5K €14.8K
-26.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Balzan
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.0 €52.0
$87.0 €77.9
-33.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$69.1 €61.9
$38.51 €34.49
79.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 €98.5
$106 €94.8
3.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 €117
$120 €107
8.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Balzan
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,132 €1,014
$1,699 €1,522
-33.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$950 €851
$1,355 €1,214
-29.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,804 €1,615
$2,603 €2,331
-30.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,522 €1,364
$2,062 €1,847
-26.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,057 €3,633
$6,915 €6,193
-41.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,876 €2,575
$5,128 €4,592
-43.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Balzan
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,000 €896
$2,211 €1,980
-54.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.05
3.28
23.48%

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

Last update for Balzan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Balzan
$950
Barcelona
$1.4K 42.7% $405
Eating Out
Balzan
$256
Barcelona
$268 4.7% $12
Groceries & Markets
Balzan
$245
Barcelona
$322 31.3% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balzan
$203
Barcelona
$228 12.3% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Balzan
$165
Barcelona
$158 4.4% $7.3
Sport & Entertainment
Balzan
$96
Barcelona
$74 23.7% $23
Getting Around
Balzan
$23 *
Barcelona
$48 110% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,132 in Balzan versus $1,699 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 in Barcelona are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Balzan versus $67 in Barcelona. Groceries tell a different story – $245 in Balzan vs $322 in Barcelona – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Balzan
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
01:06 1:06 AM
01:06 1:06 AM
Same time as Balzan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,700
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Balzan Barcelona 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Balzan
  • 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
Balzan vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Balzan and in Barcelona compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,939 in Balzan, $2,453 in Barcelona – Balzan comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Balzan compared to Barcelona?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,908 per month in Balzan and $3,679 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Balzan and Barcelona?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Balzan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,132 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Balzan and $67 in Barcelona. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 31% more in Barcelona, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How far does $3,000 go in Balzan compared to Barcelona?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,939 in Balzan and $2,453 in Barcelona, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Balzan or Barcelona?
Families tend to lean toward Balzan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Balzan or Barcelona safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Balzan and Barcelona?
If budget matters most, go with Balzan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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