Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bethune

For one person, living is cheaper in Bethune: $1,759 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Bethune
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Bethune Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bethune

🇫🇷 France

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bethune

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,759 in Bethune.

Barcelona $2,453
Bethune $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,745 in Bethune.

Barcelona $3,509
Bethune $2,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,732 in Bethune.

Barcelona $4,564
Bethune $3,732

Living in Barcelona is roughly 39% more expensive than in Bethune, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Bethune 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.78

$17.73 €15.91

-0.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$71.4 €64.1

-5.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.14

$13.46 €12.08

0.52%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.15 €2.83

1.27%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.71 €2.43

7.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.64 €1.47

15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$6.88 €6.17

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.57 €4.99

-18.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.31 €1.18

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.88 €1.68

7.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.91 €2.61

-36.43%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$4.26 €3.82

13.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.02

$21.31 €19.12

-21.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.18

$12.60 €11.30

-27.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.62

$23.13 €20.76

-15.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.89 €2.59

3.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.14 €1.92

-5.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.37 €2.13

13.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.03 €2.72

-7.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.86 €1.67

12.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.03 €1.83

1.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.48 €1.32

-1.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.58 €0.52

62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$13.77 €12.35

-50.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$7.97 €7.15

-1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.77 €1.59

-20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.53 €2.27

0.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.77 €1.59

77.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.83

$50.0 €44.88

-49.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.22 €1.99

34.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.16 €1.94

-31.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.95

$23.84 €21.39

39.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.97 €1.76

-8.63%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$35.3K €31.6K

-5.86%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.8K €33.9K

-16.16%

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

$180 €162

$179 €161

0.64%

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

$13.84 €12.42

$15.11 €13.56

-8.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.24

$30.20 €27.10

11.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.22

$35.27 €31.65

46.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.32

$16.96 €15.22

-5.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.87

$10.12 €9.08

8.60%

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

$917 €823

$621 €557

47.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,147 €7,311

102.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.1

$87.8 €78.7

-0.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.55

$37.83 €33.94

1.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.9

$77.8 €69.8

36.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$97.4 €87.4

22.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,525

$767 €688

121.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,216

$629 €565

115.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,335

$1,473 €1,322

76.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,851

$1,139 €1,022

81.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,205

$4,586 €4,115

50.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,601

$3,479 €3,122

47.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,984

$3,709 €3,329

-40.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.92

-16.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bethune: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bethune

$629 35.8% 53.6% $726

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bethune

$361 20.5% 12.2% $39

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bethune

$283 16.1% 5.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bethune

$225 12.8% 1.5% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bethune

$135 7.7% 14.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bethune

$56 3.2% 24.5% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bethune

$70 4% 44.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $767 in Bethune. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bethune pays 68% 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 $71 in Bethune for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $361 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Bethune

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

24,992

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bethune 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bethune

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 Bethune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,759 in Bethune, so Bethune is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% 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 $767 in Bethune. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $621 in Bethune. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,759 in Bethune versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bethune but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bethune 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 Bethune are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.