Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Carbonia

For one person, living is cheaper in Carbonia: $1,711 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Carbonia
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Carbonia Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Carbonia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Carbonia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,711 in Carbonia.

Barcelona $2,381
Carbonia $1,711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,669 in Carbonia.

Barcelona $3,406
Carbonia $2,669

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,626 in Carbonia.

Barcelona $4,431
Carbonia $3,626

Living in Barcelona is roughly 39% more expensive than in Carbonia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Carbonia 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$22.21 €19.76

-19.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$84.4 €75.1

-21.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.13 €9.90

23.00%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.08 €1.85

47.12%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.16 €2.81

-2.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.47 €1.31

31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.66 €5.04

-31.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.07 €4.51

-9.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.61 €1.43

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.77 €2.47

-24.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.92 €2.60

-37.33%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.76 €3.34

22.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$20.92 €18.60

-17.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$12.16 €10.82

-23.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$22.11 €19.67

-10.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.67 €2.38

12.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.83 €1.63

10.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.22 €1.97

19.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.64 €3.24

-21.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.87 €1.66

15.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.25 €2.00

-4.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.48 €1.32

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.52 €0.46

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$7.08 €6.30

-2.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.24 €7.33

-4.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.59 €1.42

-12.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.72 €1.53

52.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.71 €1.52

70.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$41.77 €37.15

-39.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$9.45 €8.41

-68.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.53 €1.36

-5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$31.37 €27.91

5.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.06 €1.84

-9.71%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$36.3K €32.3K

-10.85%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$35.1K €31.2K

-9.74%

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

$183 €163

$155 €138

17.87%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$8.84 €7.86

53.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$29.75 €26.47

10.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$54.9 €48.83

-0.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$23.39 €20.81

-29.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$11.22 €9.98

0.09%

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

$954 €849

$526 €468

81.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$8,064 €7,173

105.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$97.6 €86.9

-11.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$43.28 €38.50

-9.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$94.2 €83.7

10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$115 €102

3.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$714 €635

137.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$562 €500

127.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,144 €1,017

125.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$882 €785

117.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,871 €2,554

153.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,022 €1,799

147.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

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 20, 2026

Last update for Carbonia: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Carbonia

$562 32.9% 56% $714

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Carbonia

$362 21.2% 11.3% $37

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Carbonia

$293 17.1% 8.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Carbonia

$194 11.3% 15.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Carbonia

$158 9.2% 0.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Carbonia

$77 4.5% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Carbonia

$66 3.8% 38.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $714 in Carbonia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $84.0 in Carbonia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $362 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Carbonia

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

30,447

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Carbonia 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Carbonia

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 Carbonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Carbonia differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,711 including rent). Carbonia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $2,567 in Carbonia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $714 in Carbonia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $526 in Carbonia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,711 in Carbonia versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Carbonia but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Carbonia 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 Carbonia 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 Carbonia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.