Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Brescia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brescia: $2,176 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
105

Cost of Living Index in Brescia
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Brescia Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Brescia

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Brescia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,176 in Brescia.

Barcelona $2,453
Brescia $2,176

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,345 in Brescia.

Barcelona $3,509
Brescia $3,345

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,513 in Brescia.

Barcelona $4,564
Brescia $4,513

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Brescia 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.50 €20.16

-21.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$84.4 €75.6

-19.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$14.15 €12.68

-4.38%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.54 €2.28

25.59%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.38 €3.03

-13.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.63 €1.46

15.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.89 €6.17

-41.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.59 €5.90

-31.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.95 €1.75

-32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.30 €2.96

-38.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.26 €2.92

-43.25%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.34 €3.89

11.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$23.33 €20.90

-28.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.73 €11.41

-28.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$23.61 €21.16

-16.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.79 €2.50

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.33 €2.09

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.53 €2.27

6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.71 €3.33

-24.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.24 €2.01

-6.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.06 €1.85

0.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.73 €1.55

-15.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.62 €0.56

51.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.70 €6.00

2.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$9.02 €8.08

-12.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.43 €2.18

-41.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.37 €2.12

7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.93 €1.73

62.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$43.51 €38.99

-41.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$9.76 €8.74

-69.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.63 €1.46

-8.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$31.31 €28.06

6.58%

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 €29.7K

$36.3K €32.6K

-8.66%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.8K €34.7K

-18.20%

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

$180 €162

$324 €290

-44.32%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$14.22 €12.74

-2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$30.29 €27.15

11.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$40.07 €35.90

28.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$26.48 €23.73

-39.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.73 €14.09

-30.13%

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

$917 €821

$897 €804

2.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.9K €15.1K

-2.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$120 €108

-27.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$45.52 €40.79

-15.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$112 €101

-5.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$163 €146

-26.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$937 €840

81.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$744 €666

82.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,887 €1,691

37.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,356 €1,215

52.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,301 €2,958

109.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,224 €1,993

130.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,966 €1,762

12.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.47

-5.48%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brescia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Brescia

$744 34.2% 45.1% $612

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Brescia

$404 18.6% 25.6% $82

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Brescia

$321 14.7% 19.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Brescia

$369 16.9% 61.7% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Brescia

$199 9.1% 25.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Brescia

$72 3.3% 2.7% $2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Brescia

$69 3.2% 42.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $937 in Brescia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 12% 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 $84 in Brescia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $404 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Brescia

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

187,567

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Brescia 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Brescia

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 Brescia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,176 in Brescia, so Brescia is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% 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 $937 in Brescia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $897 in Brescia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Brescia 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 Brescia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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