Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cagliari

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagliari: $1,750 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cagliari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,750 in Cagliari.

Barcelona $2,399
Cagliari $1,750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,736 in Cagliari.

Barcelona $3,410
Cagliari $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,723 in Cagliari.

Barcelona $4,421
Cagliari $3,723

Living in Barcelona is roughly 37% more expensive than in Cagliari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Cagliari 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$22.30 €19.84

-19.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$84.1 €74.8

-19.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$11.01 €9.79

20.62%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$1.98 €1.76

64.14%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.28 €2.92

-8.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.53 €1.36

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.44 €4.83

-29.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.07 €4.51

-11.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.57 €1.40

-17.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.71 €2.41

-24.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.82 €2.51

-39.01%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.80 €3.38

25.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$21.46 €19.09

-21.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$11.84 €10.53

-24.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$22.30 €19.83

-10.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.65 €2.36

12.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.78 €1.59

14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.25 €2.00

21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.51 €3.12

-23.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.93 €1.72

8.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.33 €2.07

-10.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.55 €1.38

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.52 €0.46

71.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$7.37 €6.55

-5.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$8.41 €7.48

-7.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.63 €1.45

-11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.82 €1.62

41.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.43 €1.27

109.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$38.13 €33.92

-33.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$9.26 €8.23

-66.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.49 €1.32

-3.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$31.52 €28.04

6.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.06 €1.83

-13.11%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.7K €31.7K

-2.89%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$35.1K €31.2K

-14.41%

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

$178 €158

$157 €140

13.13%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$9.07 €8.07

46.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$29.65 €26.38

17.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$51.0 €45.38

4.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$24.59 €21.87

-34.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.31 €10.06

-2.21%

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

$957 €851

$525 €467

82.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$8,007 €7,122

106.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$94.1 €83.7

-6.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$41.94 €37.31

-5.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$90.6 €80.6

13.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$115 €103

5.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$868 €772

90.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$613 €545

112.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,395 €1,241

83.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,006 €895

90.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,278 €2,916

122.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$2,315 €2,059

119.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,807 €1,607

26.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.27

0.31%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cagliari: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Cagliari

$613 35% 52.9% $689

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Cagliari

$362 20.7% 13% $42

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Cagliari

$292 16.7% 8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Cagliari

$196 11.2% 13.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Cagliari

$154 8.8% 2.9% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Cagliari

$74 4.2% 2.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Cagliari

$61 3.5% 27.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $868 in Cagliari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 26% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $84.0 in Cagliari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $362 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

154,478

💱 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 Cagliari 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Cagliari

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 Cagliari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Cagliari differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,750 including rent). Cagliari is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $868 in Cagliari. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $525 in Cagliari. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,750 in Cagliari versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cagliari but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cagliari 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 Cagliari 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 Cagliari gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.