Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Avila

For one person, living is cheaper in Avila: $1,431 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Avila
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Avila Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Avila

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,431

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Avila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,431 in Avila.

Barcelona $2,453
Avila $1,431

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,135 in Avila.

Barcelona $3,509
Avila $2,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,838 in Avila.

Barcelona $4,564
Avila $2,838

Living in Barcelona is roughly 71% more expensive than in Avila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Avila 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$17.07 €15.29

3.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$62.9 €56.4

7.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.23 €10.07

20.48%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.03 €1.82

57.14%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.23 €2.90

-9.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.90 €1.70

-0.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.31 €2.96

21.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.47 €4.00

1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.14 €1.02

14.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.75 €0.67

169.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.53 €1.37

20.92%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.98 €2.67

62.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$25.35 €22.72

-33.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$4.20 €3.76

117.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$10.19 €9.13

92.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.86 €2.56

4.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.21 €1.08

66.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.17 €1.94

24.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.78 €4.29

-41.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.08 €1.86

0.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.86 €1.67

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.25 €1.12

16.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.55 €0.50

70.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.12 €5.48

12.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$3.07 €2.75

157.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.08 €0.96

30.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.14 €1.91

18.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.31 €1.18

139.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$31.94 €28.62

-20.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.51 €4.04

-33.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.19 €1.97

-31.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$23.09 €20.69

44.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.82 €1.63

-1.10%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.7K €32.0K

-7.12%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$28.7K €25.7K

10.37%

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

$180 €162

$74.9 €67.1

140.96%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$16.56 €14.84

-16.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$26.07 €23.36

29.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$40.58 €36.36

26.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$15.85 €14.20

0.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.75 €7.84

25.60%

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

$917 €821

$178 €159

415.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$5,973 €5,353

175.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$74.3 €66.6

17.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$36.27 €32.50

6.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$77.1 €69.1

37.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$96.0 €86.0

24.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$804 €721

111.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$579 €519

134.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$998 €895

160.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$769 €689

168.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,396 €2,147

188.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,784 €1,599

187.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,565 €2,298

-13.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.08

6.49%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Avila: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Avila

$579 40.4% 57.3% $776

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Avila

$256 17.9% 20.4% $66

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Avila

$241 16.8% 10.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Avila

$118 8.2% 48.5% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Avila

$128 8.9% 19.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Avila

$58 4.1% 21% $15

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Avila

$53 3.7% 8.7% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $804 in Avila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Avila pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $63 in Avila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $256 per month, with Avila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Avila

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

57,741

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Avila 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Avila

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 Avila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Avila wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Avila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $804 in Avila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,431 in Avila – Avila is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 20% less than in Avila. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Avila 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 Avila are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.