Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arusha

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

A single person spends $2,399 per month in Barcelona vs $549 in Arusha, rent included.

Barcelona $2,399
Arusha $549

A couple spends around $3,410 per month in Barcelona vs $888 in Arusha, rent included.

Barcelona $3,410
Arusha $888

A family of three spends $4,421 per month in Barcelona vs $1,228 in Arusha, rent included.

Barcelona $4,421
Arusha $1,228

Barcelona costs about 337% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Barcelona sits 78% above the global median, while Arusha is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$3.33 TZS 8,723

438.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

148.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

45.61%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$1.70 TZS 4,443

91.18%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$0.92 TZS 2,421

227.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.32 TZS 851

484.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$1.01 TZS 2,653

281.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.80 TZS 7,336

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.96 TZS 2,522

34.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.69 TZS 1,798

195.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.74 TZS 4,554

-1.15%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.75 TZS 4,573

172.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.22 TZS 5,802

34.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$0.77 TZS 2,021

248.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.49 TZS 1,272

328.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.03 TZS 2,686

101.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.85 TZS 2,229

4.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$1.53 TZS 4,015

353.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.93 TZS 2,444

55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$0.92 TZS 2,417

179.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.19 TZS 503

1473.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

338.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.24 TZS 3,259

44.35%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

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

$30.1K €26.7K

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

$178 €158

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

521.64%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

54.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

-25.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

-18.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

135.82%

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

$957 €851

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

114.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$285 TZS 747.5K

479.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$234 TZS 611.7K

457.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$491 TZS 1.3M

420.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$525 TZS 1.4M

264.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Arusha

$234 42.6% 82.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Arusha

$66 * 12% 79.5% $255

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Arusha

$90 16.4% 66.7% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Arusha

$84 15.3% 62.9% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Arusha

$75 13.6% 0.7% $0.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 98.4% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,653 in Barcelona versus $285 in Arusha. 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 $68.0 in Barcelona versus $27.00 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $66.0 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

617,631

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,945 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Arusha 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona, $549 in Arusha – roughly 337% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,599 per month in Barcelona and $823 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, 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 $68.0 in Barcelona and $27.00 in Arusha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,399 in Barcelona and $549 in Arusha. That's a gap of about 337%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Barcelona has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $549 in Arusha to $2,399 in Barcelona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Arusha. 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.