Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bastia

For one person, living is cheaper in Bastia: $1,828 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Bastia
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Bastia Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Bastia

🇫🇷 France

$1,828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bastia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,828 in Bastia.

Barcelona $2,399
Bastia $1,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,813 in Bastia.

Barcelona $3,410
Bastia $2,813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,799 in Bastia.

Barcelona $4,421
Bastia $3,799

Living in Barcelona is roughly 31% more expensive than in Bastia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Bastia 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$16.54 €14.71

8.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$66.8 €59.4

1.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$13.27 €11.81

0.08%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$3.80 €3.38

-14.47%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.18 €2.83

-5.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.82 €1.62

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$8.28 €7.36

-53.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.58 €4.96

-19.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.28 €1.14

0.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.85 €1.64

10.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.57 €2.29

-33.07%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.17 €3.71

14.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$19.18 €17.06

-12.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$12.39 €11.02

-27.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$21.79 €19.39

-8.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.05 €2.71

-2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.27 €2.02

-10.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.00 €2.67

-9.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.35 €2.98

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.92 €1.71

9.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.21 €1.97

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.44 €1.28

0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.73 €0.65

21.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$13.88 €12.35

-50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$7.71 €6.85

0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.69 €2.39

-46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.40 €3.02

-24.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.87 €1.67

59.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$47.23 €42.01

-46.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$5.03 €4.47

-37.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.11 €1.88

-31.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$33.79 €30.06

-0.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.17 €1.93

-17.51%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

0.15%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$34.9K €31.1K

-13.95%

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

$178 €158

$209 €185

-14.70%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$15.96 €14.20

-16.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$32.53 €28.94

7.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$35.50 €31.58

50.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$13.73 €12.21

-19.45%

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

$957 €851

$797 €709

20.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$10.7K €9,476

55.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$93.4 €83.1

-5.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$41.56 €36.97

-4.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$103 €91.6

-0.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$135 €120

-10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$764 €680

116.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$618 €550

110.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,373 €1,221

86.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,123 €999

70.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,939 €3,504

84.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,014 €2,681

68.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,580 €1,406

44.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-18.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bastia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Bastia

$618 33.8% 52.5% $683

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Bastia

$361 19.8% 12.8% $41

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Bastia

$290 15.9% 7.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Bastia

$257 14.1% 13.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Bastia

$168 9.2% 6% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Bastia

$63 3.4% 16.5% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Bastia

$70 3.9% 48.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $764 in Bastia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 44% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $67.0 in Bastia. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $361, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Bastia

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

48,768

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Bastia 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bastia

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 Bastia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Bastia differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,828 including rent). Bastia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $764 in Bastia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $797 in Bastia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,828 in Bastia versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bastia but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bastia 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 Bastia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bastia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.