Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bari

For one person, living is cheaper in Bari: $1,741 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Bari
Learn more

Bari Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Bari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,741 in Bari.

Barcelona $2,443
Bari $1,741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,639 in Bari.

Barcelona $3,519
Bari $2,639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,536 in Bari.

Barcelona $4,595
Bari $3,536

Living in Barcelona is roughly 40% more expensive than in Bari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Bari 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$16.53 €14.68

6.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$66.1 €58.7

2.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$11.11 €9.87

22.50%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$1.93 €1.72

60.62%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.54 €2.26

18.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.25 €1.11

54.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$3.88 €3.45

-1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$3.26 €2.90

33.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.50 €1.33

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.77 €1.57

19.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.89 €2.56

-31.83%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$3.91 €3.48

21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$15.18 €13.48

12.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$11.27 €10.02

-20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$16.26 €14.44

27.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.33 €2.07

35.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.02 €1.79

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.06 €1.83

28.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$3.43 €3.05

-16.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.63 €1.45

26.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.58 €1.40

37.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.13 €1.01

35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.42 €0.37

130.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$6.84 €6.08

1.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$7.19 €6.38

9.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.95 €1.73

-27.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.46 €2.18

9.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.09 €0.97

203.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$39.15 €34.78

-34.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.85 €3.42

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.26 €2.00

-34.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$24.57 €21.82

33.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.03 €1.81

-7.88%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$36.4K €32.3K

-9.36%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$36.6K €32.5K

-12.78%

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

$183 €162

$210 €186

-12.82%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$11.60 €10.30

22.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$31.23 €27.74

10.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$45.31 €40.25

13.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

$25.66 €22.80

-36.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$8.23 €7.31

34.39%

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

$944 €838

$747 €664

26.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$8,198 €7,282

171.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$86.4 €76.7

1.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$46.59 €41.38

-16.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$110 €98.0

-5.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$145 €129

-19.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$876 €778

93.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$657 €584

103.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$1,620 €1,439

66.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$1,095 €973

89.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$3,671 €3,261

94.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$2,196 €1,951

131.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

$1,843 €1,637

21.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.92

-18.62%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bari: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Bari

$657 37.8% 50.8% $679

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Bari

$306 17.6% 6.5% $21

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Bari

$230 13.2% 13.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Bari

$253 14.5% 9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Bari

$175 10% 11.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bari

$62 3.6% 16% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Bari

$59 3.4% 18.9% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $876 in Bari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 22% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $66 in Bari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $306 per month, with Bari cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Bari

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

326,344

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bari 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bari

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 Bari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,741 in Bari, so Bari is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $876 in Bari. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $747 in Bari. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 35% less than in Bari. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,741 in Bari versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bari but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bari the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

It comes down to priorities – Bari wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.