Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cantù

For one person, living is cheaper in Cantù: $1,667 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Cantù
Learn more

Cantù Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Cantù

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cantù

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,667 in Cantù.

Barcelona $2,453
Cantù $1,667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,668 in Cantù.

Barcelona $3,509
Cantù $2,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,670 in Cantù.

Barcelona $4,564
Cantù $3,670

Living in Barcelona is roughly 47% more expensive than in Cantù, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Cantù 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.30 €19.99

-21.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$90.8 €81.4

-25.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.09 €9.94

22.00%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.80 €1.61

77.22%

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

$2.91 €2.61

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.71 €1.53

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.62 €5.04

-28.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.17 €5.53

-26.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.39 €1.25

-5.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.25 €2.02

-10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.58 €3.21

-48.32%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.98 €3.57

21.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$15.19 €13.61

10.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.84 €11.50

-28.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$18.22 €16.32

7.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.84 €2.54

4.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.62 €1.45

24.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.07 €2.75

-12.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.35 €2.11

19.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.89 €1.69

10.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.82 €1.63

13.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.66 €1.48

-12.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.60 €0.54

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.62 €5.93

3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.53 €4.96

42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.87 €0.78

62.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.66 €1.48

53.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.77 €1.59

77.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$46.47 €41.64

-45.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.75 €5.15

-48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.29 €2.05

-34.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$38.40 €34.41

-13.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.01 €1.81

-10.45%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.8K €32.0K

-7.18%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$35.0K €31.4K

-9.50%

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

$180 €162

$194 €174

-7.12%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$12.72 €11.40

8.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$27.58 €24.72

22.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$54.8 €49.14

-6.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$24.80 €22.23

-35.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.66 €10.45

-5.75%

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

$917 €821

$719 €645

27.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,047 €6,314

133.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$88.5 €79.3

-1.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$43.93 €39.37

-12.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$109 €97.6

-2.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$129 €116

-7.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$657 €589

158.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$504 €451

169.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,080 €968

140.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$910 €816

126.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,348 €3,000

106.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,237 €2,004

129.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,753 €2,467

-19.70%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Cantù: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Cantù

$504 30.2% 62.8% $852

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Cantù

$321 19.3% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Cantù

$292 17.5% 9.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Cantù

$235 14.1% 2.9% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Cantù

$167 10% 5.5% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cantù

$78 4.7% 6.3% $4.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cantù

$71 4.2% 46% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $657 in Cantù. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cantù pays 25% 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 $91 in Cantù. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $321, with Cantù cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Cantù

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

35,153

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Cantù 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Cantù

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 Cantù: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,667 in Cantù, so Cantù is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% 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 $657 in Cantù. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $719 in Cantù. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $91 in Cantù. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Cantù gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Cantù are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.