Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bologna

For one person, living is cheaper in Bologna: $2,163 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
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Bologna Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,163

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bologna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,163 in Bologna.

Barcelona $2,453
Bologna $2,163

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,351 in Bologna.

Barcelona $3,509
Bologna $3,351

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,539 in Bologna.

Barcelona $4,564
Bologna $4,539

Living in Barcelona is roughly 13% more expensive than in Bologna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Bologna 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$22.34 €20.00

-21.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$89.3 €80.0

-24.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.16 €11.79

2.81%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.20 €1.97

45.00%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.52 €3.16

-17.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.82 €1.63

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.90 €6.18

-41.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.74 €5.14

-21.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.39 €1.24

-5.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.06 €2.74

-33.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.83 €2.53

-34.63%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.05 €3.62

19.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$20.41 €18.28

-17.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.39 €11.10

-26.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$20.65 €18.50

-4.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.48 €2.22

20.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.32 €2.08

-12.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.53 €2.27

6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.47 €3.11

-19.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.93 €1.73

8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.72 €1.54

20.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.34 €1.20

8.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.56 €0.51

67.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$7.10 €6.36

-3.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$7.67 €6.87

2.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.93 €1.73

-26.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.88 €2.58

-11.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.59 €2.32

21.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$44.44 €39.80

-42.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.54 €4.06

-34.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.63 €1.46

-8.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$32.68 €29.27

2.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.18 €1.95

-17.43%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.0K €31.3K

-5.17%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.3K €34.3K

-17.29%

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

$180 €162

$245 €219

-26.31%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$11.16 €9.99

24.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$30.61 €27.41

10.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$62.8 €56.3

-17.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$26.42 €23.66

-39.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.04 €8.99

9.46%

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

$917 €821

$770 €689

19.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.4K €14.7K

0.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$93.2 €83.5

-6.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$45.42 €40.68

-15.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$122 €110

-13.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$147 €132

-18.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,129 €1,011

50.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$867 €777

56.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,047 €1,834

27.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,566 €1,403

31.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$5,095 €4,563

35.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$3,628 €3,249

41.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,160 €1,934

2.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.19

2.82%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bologna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bologna

$867 40.1% 36% $488

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bologna

$363 16.8% 12.8% $41

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bologna

$312 14.4% 16.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bologna

$287 13.3% 25.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bologna

$184 8.5% 16.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bologna

$83 3.8% 12.8% $9.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bologna

$67 3.1% 39.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,129 in Bologna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $89 in Bologna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $363 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Bologna

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

386,663

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bologna 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bologna

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 Bologna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,163 in Bologna, so Bologna is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $3,244 in Bologna to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,129 in Bologna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $770 in Bologna. 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.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bologna is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Bologna are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.