Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Busto Arsizio

For one person, living is cheaper in Busto Arsizio: $1,828 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Busto Arsizio
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Busto Arsizio Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Busto Arsizio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Busto Arsizio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,828 in Busto Arsizio.

Barcelona $2,381
Busto Arsizio $1,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,845 in Busto Arsizio.

Barcelona $3,406
Busto Arsizio $2,845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,863 in Busto Arsizio.

Barcelona $4,431
Busto Arsizio $3,863

Living in Barcelona is roughly 30% more expensive than in Busto Arsizio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Busto Arsizio 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$22.53 €20.04

-20.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$90.8 €80.7

-27.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.20 €9.96

22.23%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.24 €1.99

36.61%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.31 €2.94

-7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.42 €1.26

36.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.69 €5.95

-42.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.00 €5.33

-23.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.54 €1.37

-15.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.35 €2.09

-10.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.40 €3.02

-46.18%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.91 €4.36

-5.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$17.70 €15.74

-1.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$13.86 €12.33

-33.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$22.01 €19.58

-9.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.76 €2.45

9.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.89 €1.69

7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.50 €2.22

6.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.26 €2.90

-11.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.65 €1.46

30.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.04 €1.82

5.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.16 €1.04

26.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.65 €0.58

35.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$7.74 €6.89

-10.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.03 €4.48

55.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.53 €1.36

-9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.60 €1.42

64.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.72 €1.53

69.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$42.93 €38.18

-40.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.01 €3.56

-25.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.26 €2.01

-36.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$39.57 €35.19

-16.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.11 €1.88

-11.85%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$35.9K €31.9K

-9.80%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$34.7K €30.9K

-8.70%

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

$183 €163

$198 €176

-7.73%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$12.01 €10.68

13.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$27.37 €24.35

20.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$31.00 €27.57

76.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$11.18 €9.94

0.45%

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

$954 €849

$902 €802

5.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,092 €6,309

134.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$90.1 €80.2

-4.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$28.02 €24.93

39.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$108 €96.1

-4.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$137 €122

-13.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,279 €1,138

32.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$649 €577

96.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,961 €1,744

31.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,086 €966

76.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,535 €2,255

187.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,576 €1,402

217.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,194 €1,952

1.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.65

-10.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Busto Arsizio: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Busto Arsizio

$649 35.5% 49.2% $627

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Busto Arsizio

$354 19.4% 9% $29

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Busto Arsizio

$305 16.7% 13.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Busto Arsizio

$237 13% 3.6% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Busto Arsizio

$163 8.9% 4.6% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Busto Arsizio

$53 2.9% 30.9% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Busto Arsizio

$65 3.6% 37.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,279 in Busto Arsizio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 1% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $91.0 in Busto Arsizio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $354 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Busto Arsizio

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

83,094

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Busto Arsizio 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Busto Arsizio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Busto Arsizio differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,828 including rent). Busto Arsizio is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,279 in Busto Arsizio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $902 in Busto Arsizio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,828 in Busto Arsizio versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Busto Arsizio but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Busto Arsizio 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 Busto Arsizio 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 Busto Arsizio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.