Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bra

For one person, living is cheaper in Bra: $1,549 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Bra
Learn more

Bra Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,549 in Bra.

Barcelona $2,453
Bra $1,549

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,248 in Bra.

Barcelona $3,509
Bra $2,248

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,948 in Bra.

Barcelona $4,564
Bra $2,948

Living in Barcelona is roughly 58% more expensive than in Bra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Bra 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$22.77 €20.46

-22.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$39.40 €35.40

71.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$11.40 €10.24

18.68%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$1.74 €1.56

83.33%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.79 €3.40

-23.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.65 €1.49

14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.43 €4.88

-26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.41 €3.96

2.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.58 €1.42

-17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.58 €2.32

-21.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.66 €2.39

-30.45%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.21 €2.88

50.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$12.98 €11.66

28.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$11.54 €10.37

-20.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$19.11 €17.17

2.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.27 €2.04

31.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.11 €1.89

-4.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.25 €2.02

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.34 €3.00

-16.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.71 €1.54

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.67 €1.50

23.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.14 €1.03

28.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.57 €0.52

64.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$6.68 €6.00

2.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$6.10 €5.48

29.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.64 €1.47

-14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.21 €1.99

14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.63 €1.47

92.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$46.35 €41.64

-45.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$8.04 €7.22

-62.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.27 €2.04

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$11.21 €10.07

197.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.07 €1.86

-13.04%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$27.3K €24.5K

21.47%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$29.5K €26.5K

7.47%

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

$180 €162

$112 €101

60.49%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$10.21 €9.17

35.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$28.26 €25.39

19.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$77.9 €70.0

-33.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$9.15 €8.22

20.11%

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

$917 €823

$111 €100

723.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$19.0K €17.0K

-13.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$102 €91.3

-14.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$50.2 €45.06

-23.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$114 €102

-6.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$134 €121

-10.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$669 €601

153.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$441 €396

207.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$562 €504

363.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$505 €453

308.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.1

5.81%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bra

$441 28.5% 67.5% $914

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bra

$314 20.2% 2.6% $8.3

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bra

$295 19.1% 10.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bra

$151 9.7% 33.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bra

$180 11.6% 13.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bra

$96 6.2% 30.8% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bra

$72 4.7% 49.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $669 in Bra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $39 in Bra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $314 per month, with Bra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Bra

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

30,224

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bra 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bra

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 Bra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,549 in Bra, so Bra is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,323 in Bra 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 $669 in Bra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $111 in Bra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bra 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 Bra are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.