Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,203 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Acuna, Mexico
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Acuna
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,203
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Acuna

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Acuna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,443 per month in Barcelona vs $1,203 in Acuna, rent included.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Acuna $1,203

A couple spends around $3,519 per month in Barcelona vs $1,872 in Acuna, rent included.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Acuna $1,872

A family of three spends $4,595 per month in Barcelona vs $2,540 in Acuna, rent included.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Acuna $2,540

Barcelona costs about 103% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 81% above the global median, while Acuna is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Acuna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.75
$10.82 MX$204
63.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.2
$42.78 MX$805
57.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.14
$8.73 MX$164
55.90%
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.77
$3.49 MX$65.6
-11.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.68
$1.40 MX$26.29
114.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$0.99 MX$18.67
94.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.43
$2.49 MX$46.88
54.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.89
$3.92 MX$73.8
11.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Acuna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.56 MX$29.27
-19.87%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.90
$2.58 MX$48.47
-17.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.64 MX$30.88
20.12%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.25
$2.45 MX$46.18
94.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.22
$8.25 MX$155
106.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €7.99
$7.96 MX$150
12.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.42
$11.30 MX$213
82.74%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.82
$2.61 MX$49.13
21.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.56 MX$29.43
26.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.37
$1.84 MX$34.64
44.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.57
$1.78 MX$33.57
61.80%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.84
$2.04 MX$38.40
0.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.95
$1.82 MX$34.32
19.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.43 MX$26.89
6.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.87
$1.12 MX$21.10
-13.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.21
$4.20 MX$79.0
65.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.04
$10.27 MX$193
-23.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$1.79 MX$33.65
-20.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.40
$3.16 MX$59.5
-14.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Acuna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.95
$0.62 MX$11.64
433.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.84
$29.62 MX$557
-13.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.75
$2.54 MX$47.84
21.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.93 MX$36.28
-23.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.32
$10.78 MX$203
204.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.32 MX$24.80
41.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.4K
$23.3K MX$437.6K
41.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.5K
$23.7K MX$445.8K
34.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Acuna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$57.2 MX$1,077
219.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.70
$22.85 MX$430
-37.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.83
$29.20 MX$549
18.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Acuna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.87
$32.41 MX$610
58.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.62
$20.22 MX$381
-18.99%
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.87
$4.97 MX$93.5
122.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Acuna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €842
$218 MX$4,101
332.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.9K
$4,512 MX$84.9K
393.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Acuna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €78.2
$54.3 MX$1,022
61.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.59
$39.96 MX$752
-2.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.3
$97.7 MX$1,838
7.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$89.5 MX$1,685
31.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Acuna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,514
$596 MX$11.2K
184.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,192
$436 MX$8,212
206.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,401
$1,039 MX$19.6K
158.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,853
$751 MX$14.1K
176.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,382
$1,911 MX$36.0K
274.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,530
$1,107 MX$20.8K
358.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Acuna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €1,999
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
11.31
-71.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Acuna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Acuna
$436 67.4% $900
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Acuna
$260 20.8% $68
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Acuna
$184 30.9% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Acuna
$109 52.8% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Acuna
$127 19.3% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Acuna
$42 42.4% $31
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Acuna
$44 10.3% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Barcelona versus $596 in Acuna. 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 $67 in Barcelona versus $43 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $260 – making Acuna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇲🇽 Acuna
🕒 Local time
05:29 5:29 AM
22:29 10:29 PM
7 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
160,225
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Acuna 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Acuna

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
Barcelona vs Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Acuna cheaper than Barcelona?
Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,664 per month in Barcelona and $1,804 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $1,697 in Barcelona.
What are total monthly expenses in Barcelona and in Acuna?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,203 in Acuna. That makes Acuna about 51% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 14% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Barcelona or in Acuna?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Barcelona at $2,443. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Barcelona or Acuna more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Acuna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Barcelona or Acuna?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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