Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Akita

For one person, living is cheaper in Akita: $1,229 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Akita
Learn more

Akita Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Akita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Akita

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 Akita actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,443 per month in Barcelona vs $1,229 in Akita, rent included.

Barcelona $2,443
Akita $1,229

A couple spends around $3,519 per month in Barcelona vs $1,929 in Akita, rent included.

Barcelona $3,519
Akita $1,929

A family of three spends $4,595 per month in Barcelona vs $2,630 in Akita, rent included.

Barcelona $4,595
Akita $2,630

Barcelona costs about 99% more than Akita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 81% above the global median, while Akita is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.80

$6.49 ¥1,028

172.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.4

$32.30 ¥5,114

108.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.18

$4.91 ¥777

177.19%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$3.59 ¥568

-13.65%

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

$3.00 €2.69

$0.93 ¥147

222.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.82 ¥130

135.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$1.85 ¥293

107.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$3.18 ¥504

37.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.53 ¥243

-18.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.57 ¥249

35.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$4.28 ¥677

-53.97%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$2.14 ¥339

122.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.27

$10.25 ¥1,623

66.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$6.42 ¥1,016

39.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.48

$16.74 ¥2,650

23.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$3.82 ¥604

-17.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.38 ¥376

-17.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.95 ¥467

-10.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$4.30 ¥681

-33.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.48 ¥392

-16.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.47 ¥391

-11.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.24 ¥197

23.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.84 ¥133

15.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$3.98 ¥630

75.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$6.78 ¥1,073

16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.87 ¥296

-24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.11 ¥334

27.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$1.48 ¥235

123.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.91

$57.8 ¥9,151

-55.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$3.18 ¥504

-3.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.88 ¥456

-48.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.42

$18.62 ¥2,949

76.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.33 ¥211

40.60%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

48.39%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$15.5K ¥2.5M

105.54%

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

$183 €164

$134 ¥21.2K

36.43%

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

$14.24 €12.74

$24.28 ¥3,845

-41.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.93

$31.40 ¥4,971

10.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €46.01

$51.0 ¥8,081

0.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.66

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.90

$12.92 ¥2,046

-14.40%

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

$944 €844

$688 ¥109.0K

37.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

78.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.5

$42.42 ¥6,716

106.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.70

$46.16 ¥7,308

-16.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

$88.5 ¥14.0K

18.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$89.5 ¥14.2K

31.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,518

$556 ¥88.0K

205.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,196

$337 ¥53.4K

296.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,409

$1,032 ¥163.4K

160.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,858

$721 ¥114.2K

187.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,402

$4,281 ¥677.8K

67.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,545

$2,350 ¥372.1K

116.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,006

$1,655 ¥262.0K

35.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

2.21

44.34%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Akita: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Akita

$337 27.5% 74.8% $999

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Akita

$291 23.7% 11.2% $37

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Akita

$132 10.8% 50.4% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Akita

$190 15.4% 18.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Akita

$120 9.8% 23.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Akita

$77 6.3% 4.5% $3.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Akita

$81 6.6% 64.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Barcelona versus $556 in Akita. 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 35% 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 $67 in Barcelona versus $32 in Akita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $291 – making Akita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Akita

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

00:58 12:58 AM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

307,672

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Akita 10,050 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Akita

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 Akita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 99% more than Akita, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,664 per month in Barcelona and $1,843 in Akita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Akita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $556 there versus $1,697 in Barcelona.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $944 per month in Barcelona and $688 in Akita. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,229 in Akita. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Akita. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.