Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bourges

For one person, living is cheaper in Bourges: $1,929 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Bourges
Learn more

Bourges Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Bourges

🇫🇷 France

$1,929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bourges

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,929 in Bourges.

Barcelona $2,381
Bourges $1,929

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,000 in Bourges.

Barcelona $3,406
Bourges $3,000

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,070 in Bourges.

Barcelona $4,431
Bourges $4,070

Living in Barcelona is roughly 23% more expensive than in Bourges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Bourges 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$16.74 €14.89

6.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$78.4 €69.7

-15.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.26 €11.79

3.24%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.02 €4.47

-39.04%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$4.53 €4.03

-32.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.73 €2.43

-28.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$8.02 €7.13

-51.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.78 €6.03

-32.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.10 €0.98

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.53 €2.25

-17.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.22 €1.97

-17.57%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.39 €3.91

5.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$21.83 €19.42

-20.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$13.84 €12.31

-32.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$21.72 €19.32

-8.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.23 €2.87

-6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.18 €1.94

-6.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.92 €2.60

-9.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.33 €3.85

-33.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.83 €1.63

18.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.53 €2.25

-15.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.90 €1.69

-22.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.90 €0.80

-2.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$14.82 €13.18

-53.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.82 €7.85

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.69 €2.39

-48.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.51 €3.12

-25.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.00 €1.78

45.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$48.70 €43.32

-47.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$8.99 €8.00

-66.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$45.69 €40.64

-27.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.27 €2.02

-18.06%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$34.3K €30.5K

-5.62%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$38.2K €33.9K

-16.92%

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

$183 €163

$243 €216

-24.73%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$7.90 €7.03

72.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$29.39 €26.14

12.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$34.40 €30.60

58.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.30 €12.72

-21.47%

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

$954 €849

$1,780 €1,583

-46.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$26.0K €23.1K

-36.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$109 €96.8

-20.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$52.5 €46.71

-25.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$119 €106

-13.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$159 €141

-25.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$630 €560

169.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$607 €540

110.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,168 €1,039

120.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,129 €1,004

70.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,419 €3,931

64.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,123 €2,778

60.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,768 €2,462

-19.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.4

-3.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bourges: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Bourges

$607 31.4% 52.5% $669

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Bourges

$392 20.3% 20.7% $67

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Bourges

$317 16.4% 17.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Bourges

$280 14.5% 22.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Bourges

$198 10.3% 26.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Bourges

$63 3.3% 18.4% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Bourges

$73 3.8% 54.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $630 in Bourges. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bourges pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $78.0 in Bourges for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $392 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Bourges

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

63,702

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bourges 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bourges

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 Bourges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Bourges differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,929 including rent). Bourges is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Bourges. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $630 in Bourges. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,780 in Bourges. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,929 in Bourges versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bourges but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bourges 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 Bourges are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bourges gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.