Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Biella

For one person, living is cheaper in Biella: $1,455 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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 Biella
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Biella Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Biella

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,455

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Biella

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,455 in Biella.

Barcelona $2,453
Biella $1,455

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,244 in Biella.

Barcelona $3,509
Biella $2,244

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,034 in Biella.

Barcelona $4,564
Biella $3,034

Living in Barcelona is roughly 69% more expensive than in Biella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Biella 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$16.68 €14.94

5.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$67.1 €60.1

0.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.59 €9.49

27.76%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.76 €1.58

81.25%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.96 €2.65

-1.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.35 €1.21

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.17 €4.63

-22.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.41 €3.95

2.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.26 €1.13

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.28 €2.04

-11.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.95 €2.64

-37.29%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.71 €3.32

30.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$14.40 €12.89

16.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.90 €7.97

2.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$21.24 €19.02

-7.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.05 €2.73

-2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.17 €1.94

-6.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.94 €1.73

39.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.83 €4.32

-42.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.85 €1.65

12.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.81 €1.62

14.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.47 €1.32

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.35 €0.32

168.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.74 €6.03

1.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$6.62 €5.93

19.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.01 €1.80

-29.85%

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

$1.90 €1.71

65.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$38.48 €34.46

-33.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$14.64 €13.11

-79.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.66 €1.49

-10.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$29.62 €26.53

12.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.99 €1.78

-9.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$36.5K €32.7K

-9.16%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$35.9K €32.2K

-11.71%

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

$180 €162

$190 €170

-5.12%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$7.66 €6.86

80.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$27.66 €24.77

21.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$66.3 €59.4

-22.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$24.85 €22.25

-35.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.10 €8.15

20.77%

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

$917 €821

$687 €615

33.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.2K €9,180

60.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$87.2 €78.1

-0.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$44.14 €39.53

-12.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$82.4 €73.8

28.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$112 €100

7.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$414 €370

310.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$370 €331

266.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$678 €607

284.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$562 €503

267.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$1,598 €1,432

332.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$850 €761

503.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,819 €1,630

21.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.65

-10.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Biella: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Biella

$370 25.4% 72.7% $986

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Biella

$321 22.1% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Biella

$238 16.4% 11.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Biella

$225 15.5% 1.1% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Biella

$146 10.1% 7.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Biella

$84 5.8% 14.9% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Biella

$69 4.8% 42.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $414 in Biella. 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 $67 in Biella. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $321, with Biella cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Biella

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

45,740

💱 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 Biella 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Biella

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 Biella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,455 in Biella, so Biella is about 41% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $414 in Biella. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $687 in Biella. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,455 in Biella – Biella is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,455 in Biella versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Biella but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Biella 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.

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