Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Beirut

For one person, living is cheaper in Beirut: $1,657 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
Learn more

Beirut Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Beirut

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,657 in Beirut.

Barcelona $2,453
Beirut $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,643 in Beirut.

Barcelona $3,509
Beirut $2,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,628 in Beirut.

Barcelona $4,564
Beirut $3,628

Living in Barcelona is roughly 48% more expensive than in Beirut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Beirut 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$12.13 LBP 1.1M

45.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$68.2 LBP 6.1M

-0.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.86 LBP 882.6K

37.22%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.46 LBP 399.2K

-28.48%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.34 LBP 209.6K

24.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.90 LBP 80.9K

110.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.10 LBP 456.3K

-21.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.89 LBP 437.7K

-7.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.02 LBP 180.5K

-35.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.91 LBP 81.4K

121.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.20 LBP 196.6K

-15.91%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.61 LBP 323.5K

33.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$10.87 LBP 973.3K

54.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.58 LBP 947.2K

-13.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$15.12 LBP 1.4M

29.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.10 LBP 277.0K

-3.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.67 LBP 149.2K

20.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.70 LBP 151.9K

58.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.54 LBP 137.9K

81.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.26 LBP 113.1K

65.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.53 LBP 137.3K

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.16 LBP 103.9K

25.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

32.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$2.96 LBP 265.2K

132.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$11.04 LBP 988.5K

-28.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.32 LBP 118.0K

6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.60 LBP 233.0K

-2.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

105.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$75.4 LBP 6.7M

-66.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.04 LBP 451.2K

-40.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.28 LBP 204.0K

-34.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$22.53 LBP 2.0M

48.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.04 LBP 93.2K

73.08%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-37.77%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.3K LBP 3.0B

-4.70%

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

$180 €162

$210 LBP 18.8M

-13.97%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$23.80 LBP 2.1M

-41.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$37.87 LBP 3.4M

-11.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$95.9 LBP 8.6M

-46.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$33.37 LBP 3.0M

-52.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.16 LBP 909.0K

8.17%

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

$917 €821

$677 LBP 60.6M

35.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.5K LBP 940.9M

56.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$66.4 LBP 5.9M

30.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$49.92 LBP 4.5M

-22.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$141 LBP 12.7M

-25.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$121 LBP 10.8M

-0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$946 LBP 84.7M

79.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$495 LBP 44.3M

173.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,209 LBP 197.7M

17.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,044 LBP 93.4M

97.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$4,473 LBP 400.3M

54.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$1,892 LBP 169.3M

171.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$710 LBP 63.6M

211.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-70.18%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Beirut: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Beirut

$495 29.9% 63.5% $860

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Beirut

$277 16.7% 13.8% $45

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Beirut

$228 13.8% 14.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Beirut

$271 16.4% 19.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Beirut

$170 10.3% 7.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Beirut

$116 7% 58.1% $43

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Beirut

$98 5.9% 102% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $946 in Beirut. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in Beirut. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $277, with Beirut cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇱🇧 Beirut

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

05:29 5:29 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,916,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Beirut 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Beirut

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 Beirut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,657 in Beirut, so Beirut is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 3.1 times higher, 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $946 in Beirut. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $677 in Beirut. 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 66% less than in Beirut. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

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