Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Brest, France

Name: Brest
Address: Brest, FR

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $1,385 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,385

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Brest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,385 in Brest.

Barcelona $2,453
Brest $1,385

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,163 in Brest.

Barcelona $3,509
Brest $2,163

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,941 in Brest.

Barcelona $4,564
Brest $2,941

Living in Barcelona is roughly 77% more expensive than in Brest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Brest 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$15.75 €14.11

11.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$43.99 €39.40

53.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.15 €9.99

21.35%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.91 €2.61

9.62%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.92 €2.62

-0.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.11 €1.89

-10.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.76 €6.05

-40.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.24 €4.70

-13.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.14 €1.02

14.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.60 €1.44

26.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.52 €2.26

-26.59%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.63 €3.25

33.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$18.30 €16.39

-8.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.22 €9.15

-10.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$14.01 €12.55

40.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.01 €2.70

-1.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.91 €1.71

5.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.57 €2.30

5.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.79 €2.50

0.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.73 €1.55

20.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.12 €1.90

-2.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.32 €1.18

10.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.34 €0.31

176.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$13.59 €12.17

-49.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$6.53 €5.85

20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.67 €2.39

-47.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.77 €2.48

-8.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.85 €1.65

69.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$40.15 €35.96

-36.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.12 €7.27

-63.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.03 €2.71

-50.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$31.43 €28.15

6.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.09 €1.88

-13.88%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.7K €32.0K

-7.14%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.9K €30.4K

-6.56%

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

$180 €162

$138 €123

30.87%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$28.25 €25.30

-51.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$30.40 €27.23

10.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$35.19 €31.51

46.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$15.11 €13.54

5.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.91 €12.46

-20.99%

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

$917 €821

$224 €201

308.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.6K €10.4K

42.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$70.2 €62.9

24.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$30.19 €27.04

27.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$79.5 €71.2

33.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$72.1 €64.5

66.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$508 €455

234.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$381 €341

255.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$864 €774

201.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$737 €660

179.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,809 €2,516

146.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,453 €2,197

109.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,594 €2,323

-14.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.82

-14.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brest: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Brest

$381 27.5% 71.9% $974

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Brest

$302 21.8% 6.3% $20

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Brest

$259 18.7% 3.4% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Brest

$197 14.2% 13.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Brest

$113 8.2% 28.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Brest

$63 4.6% 14.3% $10

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Brest

$71 5.1% 46.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $508 in Brest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brest pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $44 in Brest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $302 per month, with Brest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Brest

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

139,619

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Brest 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Brest

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 Brest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,385 in Brest, so Brest is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $508 in Brest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $224 in Brest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% 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. Brest 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 Brest are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.