Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $709 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arequipa

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

A single person spends $2,381 per month in Barcelona vs $709 in Arequipa, rent included.

Barcelona $2,381
Arequipa $709

A couple spends around $3,406 per month in Barcelona vs $1,117 in Arequipa, rent included.

Barcelona $3,406
Arequipa $1,117

A family of three spends $4,431 per month in Barcelona vs $1,524 in Arequipa, rent included.

Barcelona $4,431
Arequipa $1,524

Barcelona costs about 236% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barcelona sits 76% above the global median, while Arequipa is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$3.46 PEN 11.87

417.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$27.89 PEN 95.8

137.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$5.93 PEN 20.37

130.86%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.42 PEN 8.31

26.45%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.81 PEN 2.78

279.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.39 PEN 1.33

397.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.09 PEN 7.16

85.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.27 PEN 14.68

7.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.34 PEN 4.61

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.36 PEN 4.66

54.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.45 PEN 4.99

26.21%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.29 PEN 7.85

101.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$6.25 PEN 21.47

177.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$4.59 PEN 15.75

102.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$7.33 PEN 25.16

170.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.76 PEN 6.03

71.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.18 PEN 4.05

72.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.13 PEN 3.88

134.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.99 PEN 3.41

189.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.67 PEN 2.29

222.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.67 PEN 2.31

220.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.56 PEN 1.91

162.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.76 PEN 2.60

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.13 PEN 17.62

35.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.18 PEN 17.80

51.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.67 PEN 9.17

-47.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.30 PEN 7.90

14.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.28 PEN 0.95

939.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.02 PEN 6.92

48.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.01 PEN 6.92

-28.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$13.01 PEN 44.68

155.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.54 PEN 5.28

20.78%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

70.89%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

26.12%

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

$183 €163

$23.36 PEN 80.2

682.36%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$10.26 PEN 35.24

32.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$23.44 PEN 80.5

40.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$25.08 PEN 86.1

118.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$8.00 PEN 27.47

106.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$7.35 PEN 25.24

52.79%

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

$954 €849

$75.3 PEN 258

1167.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

151.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$47.74 PEN 164

80.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$26.42 PEN 90.7

48.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$67.6 PEN 232

53.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$57.5 PEN 198

106.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$347 PEN 1,192

388.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$237 PEN 813

439.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$719 PEN 2,471

257.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$419 PEN 1,439

358.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,963 PEN 6,740

271.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$989 PEN 3,397

406.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$619 PEN 2,125

259.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-78.13%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Arequipa

$237 33.4% 81.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Arequipa

$174 24.5% 46.5% $151

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Arequipa

$98 13.9% 63.5% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 75.1% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 42.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 48.5% $37

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 72.1% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Barcelona versus $347 in Arequipa. 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 260% 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 $66.0 in Barcelona versus $28.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

19:52 7:52 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

17,062

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Arequipa 9,910 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arequipa

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 Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 236% more than Arequipa, 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 $3,571 per month in Barcelona and $1,063 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, 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 $66.0 in Barcelona and $28.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Barcelona, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Barcelona at $2,381. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $709 versus $2,381 in Barcelona. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Arequipa. 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.