Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Arrest: $1,800 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arrest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,800 in Arrest.

Barcelona $2,453
Arrest $1,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,757 in Arrest.

Barcelona $3,509
Arrest $2,757

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,713 in Arrest.

Barcelona $4,564
Arrest $3,713

Living in Barcelona is roughly 36% more expensive than in Arrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Arrest 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$16.82 €15.11

4.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$56.2 €50.5

20.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$13.24 €11.90

2.19%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.97 €2.67

7.41%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.05 €2.74

-4.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.08 €1.87

-9.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$8.52 €7.66

-52.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.57 €5.00

-18.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.30 €1.17

0.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.69 €1.52

19.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.49 €2.24

-25.70%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.92 €3.52

23.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$10.07 €9.05

66.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$12.03 €10.80

-24.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$15.92 €14.30

23.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.99 €2.68

-0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.03 €2.72

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.46 €1.31

84.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.20 €3.78

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.83 €1.65

14.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.08 €1.87

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.62 €1.46

-9.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.16 €0.14

487.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$12.64 €11.35

-45.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$5.56 €4.99

41.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.43 €1.28

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.59 €1.43

59.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.94 €1.74

61.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$50.4 €45.31

-49.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.27 €2.04

31.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.14 €1.03

30.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$32.61 €29.30

2.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.17 €1.95

-17.05%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$34.9K €31.3K

-4.87%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$35.8K €32.2K

-11.51%

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

$180 €162

$200 €180

-9.80%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$32.60 €29.28

-57.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$31.74 €28.51

6.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$40.19 €36.10

28.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$15.48 €13.91

-29.01%

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

$917 €823

$889 €799

3.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.6K €9,481

56.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$129 €116

-32.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$46.35 €41.63

-16.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$98.9 €88.8

7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$158 €142

-24.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$825 €741

105.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$626 €563

116.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,536 €1,380

69.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,160 €1,042

77.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,727 €3,348

85.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$3,368 €3,026

52.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.9

-15.90%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arrest: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Arrest

$626 34.8% 53.8% $729

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Arrest

$293 16.3% 8.9% $29

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Arrest

$284 15.8% 6.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Arrest

$264 14.7% 16% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Arrest

$195 10.8% 23.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Arrest

$71 4% 3.2% $2.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Arrest

$66 3.7% 36.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $825 in Arrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $56 in Arrest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $293 per month, with Arrest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Arrest

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Arrest 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arrest

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 Arrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arrest is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,700 in Arrest 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 $825 in Arrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $889 in Arrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Arrest are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.