Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Castello de la Plana

For one person, living is cheaper in Castello de la Plana: $1,477 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Castello de la Plana
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Castello de la Plana Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Castello de la Plana

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Castello de la Plana

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 Castello de la Plana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,477 in Castello de la Plana.

Barcelona $2,453
Castello de la Plana $1,477

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,147 in Castello de la Plana.

Barcelona $3,509
Castello de la Plana $2,147

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,818 in Castello de la Plana.

Barcelona $4,564
Castello de la Plana $2,818

Living in Barcelona is roughly 66% more expensive than in Castello de la Plana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Castello de la Plana 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$14.54 €13.07

20.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$55.4 €49.77

21.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$7.89 €7.09

71.48%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.20 €1.97

45.00%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.23 €2.01

30.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.35 €1.21

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.45 €3.10

16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$3.25 €2.92

39.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.12 €1.01

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.58 €1.42

27.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.61 €1.44

14.91%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.95 €2.65

63.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$14.82 €13.31

12.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$8.21 €7.38

11.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$14.94 €13.43

31.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.57 €2.31

15.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.95 €1.75

3.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.66 €1.49

62.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.48 €2.23

12.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.80 €1.62

16.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.90 €1.71

8.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.18 €1.06

23.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.62 €0.56

51.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$6.63 €5.96

3.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.09

$5.75 €5.16

37.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.01 €0.91

39.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.12 €1.90

19.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.37 €1.23

129.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$17.82 €16.01

42.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.31 €1.18

13.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.99

$14.72 €13.22

126.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.78 €1.60

1.12%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$30.8K €27.7K

7.80%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$31.1K €27.9K

2.05%

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

$180 €162

$114 €102

58.81%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$13.52 €12.15

2.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.28

$25.57 €22.97

31.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.28

$45.10 €40.52

14.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$8.33 €7.48

31.93%

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

$917 €824

$558 €501

64.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$9,464 €8,503

74.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$63.1 €56.7

38.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.60

$21.61 €19.42

78.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$94.4 €84.8

12.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$103 €92.7

16.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$732 €657

132.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,218

$637 €572

112.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$1,024 €920

154.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$863 €776

138.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,213

$1,806 €1,622

282.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,607

$1,390 €1,249

269.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,763 €1,584

25.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.99

9.70%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Castello de la Plana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Castello de la Plana

$637 43.1% 53% $719

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Castello de la Plana

$261 17.7% 18.8% $61

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Castello de la Plana

$204 13.8% 23.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Castello de la Plana

$153 10.3% 33% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Castello de la Plana

$127 8.6% 19.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Castello de la Plana

$62 4.2% 16% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Castello de la Plana

$33 2.2% 32.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $732 in Castello de la Plana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 25% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $55 in Castello de la Plana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $261 per month, with Castello de la Plana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Castello de la Plana

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

176,238

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Castello de la Plana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Castello de la Plana differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $1,477 including rent). Castello de la Plana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $732 in Castello de la Plana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $558 in Castello de la Plana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,477 in Castello de la Plana versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Castello de la Plana but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Castello de la Plana 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 Castello de la Plana 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 Castello de la Plana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.