Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arona

For one person, living is cheaper in Arona: $1,583 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Arona
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Arona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Arona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,583

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,583 in Arona.

Barcelona $2,453
Arona $1,583

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,500 in Arona.

Barcelona $3,509
Arona $2,500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,418 in Arona.

Barcelona $4,564
Arona $3,418

Living in Barcelona is roughly 55% more expensive than in Arona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Arona 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.78

$16.68 €14.96

5.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$78.4 €70.3

-13.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.13

$8.85 €7.94

52.88%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.67 €1.49

91.02%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.88 €2.58

1.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.14 €1.02

65.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.89 €3.49

3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.57 €5.00

-18.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.37 €1.23

-4.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.18 €1.96

-7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.02 €3.61

-53.98%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.96 €2.65

63.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.01

$15.11 €13.56

10.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.18

$14.04 €12.59

-35.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.61

$15.07 €13.52

30.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.81 €2.52

6.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.68 €1.51

20.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.13 €2.81

-13.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.23 €2.00

25.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.87 €1.68

11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.84 €1.65

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.66 €1.49

-12.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.66 €0.59

42.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.79 €6.09

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$4.51 €4.05

74.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.93 €0.83

51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.63 €1.47

55.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.87 €1.67

67.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.83

$37.52 €33.65

-32.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.54 €4.97

-46.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.87 €1.68

-20.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.94

$32.01 €28.71

4.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.11 €1.89

-14.69%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$36.1K €32.4K

-8.01%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$34.7K €31.2K

-8.73%

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

$180 €162

$194 €174

-6.84%

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

$13.84 €12.41

$11.93 €10.70

16.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.23

$27.27 €24.46

23.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.21

$58.3 €52.3

-11.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.32

$20.22 €18.14

-21.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.86

$13.28 €11.91

-17.24%

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

$917 €822

$895 €803

2.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$19.5K €17.5K

-15.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.1

$89.4 €80.2

-2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.54

$37.29 €33.45

3.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.9

$106 €95.2

-0.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$130 €117

-8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,524

$680 €610

149.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,216

$502 €451

169.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,335

$1,310 €1,175

98.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,850

$903 €810

128.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,202

$2,697 €2,419

156.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,600

$1,817 €1,630

182.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,983

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.65

-10.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Arona

$502 31.8% 62.9% $853

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Arona

$313 19.8% 2.8% $9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Arona

$227 14.3% 15.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Arona

$233 14.7% 2.2% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Arona

$163 10.3% 3.4% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Arona

$85 5.4% 15.4% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Arona

$60 3.8% 23.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $680 in Arona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $78 in Arona. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $313, with Arona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Arona

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

14,310

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Arona 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arona

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 Arona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arona is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 55% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,374 in Arona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $680 in Arona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $895 in Arona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Arona is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Arona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.