Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Birgu

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgu: $1,731 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Birgu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,731 in Birgu.

Barcelona $2,453
Birgu $1,731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,812 in Birgu.

Barcelona $3,509
Birgu $2,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,894 in Birgu.

Barcelona $4,564
Birgu $3,894

Living in Barcelona is roughly 42% more expensive than in Birgu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Birgu 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$19.30 €17.28

-8.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$87.5 €78.4

-22.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.78 €10.55

14.86%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.72 €2.44

17.28%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.18 €1.95

33.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.70 €1.52

11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.65 €4.16

-13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.04 €4.51

-10.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.35 €1.21

-2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.29 €1.15

56.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.24 €3.80

-56.37%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.08 €3.65

18.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$8.38 €7.50

99.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.24 €7.38

10.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$15.41 €13.80

27.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.86 €2.56

4.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.25 €1.12

61.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.76 €2.47

-2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.81 €2.51

-0.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.22 €1.99

-5.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.66 €1.49

24.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.28 €2.04

-35.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.91 €0.81

3.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.72 €6.02

2.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$8.10 €7.25

-2.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.51 €1.36

-6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.39 €2.14

6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.28 €2.04

37.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$13.94 €12.48

82.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.74 €5.14

-47.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.14 €1.02

30.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$26.73 €23.94

24.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.48 €1.33

21.62%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$26.3K €23.6K

26.11%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.3K €29.8K

-4.86%

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

$180 €162

$101 €90.5

78.59%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$25.15 €22.52

-44.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$33.31 €29.83

1.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$44.02 €39.43

17.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$66.8 €59.8

-76.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.88 €8.84

11.23%

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

$917 €821

$372 €333

146.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$1,987 €1,780

729.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$25.02 €22.41

247.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$33.21 €29.74

15.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$99.6 €89.2

6.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$110 €98.6

8.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,001 €897

69.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$803 €720

68.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$3,637 €3,257

-28.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,537 €1,377

34.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$3,956 €3,543

74.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,883 €2,582

77.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,887 €1,690

17.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.9

13.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Birgu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Birgu

$803 46.4% 40.7% $552

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Birgu

$278 16% 13.7% $44

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Birgu

$271 15.7% 1.2% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Birgu

$159 9.2% 30% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Birgu

$121 7% 23.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Birgu

$64 3.7% 13.2% $9.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Birgu

$34 2% 28.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,001 in Birgu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 17% 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 $88 in Birgu. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $278, with Birgu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Birgu

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,500

💱 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 Birgu 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Birgu

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 Birgu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,731 in Birgu, so Birgu is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $1,001 in Birgu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $372 in Birgu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,731 in Birgu versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Birgu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Birgu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Birgu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Birgu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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