Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Catania

For one person, living is cheaper in Catania: $1,561 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Catania
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Catania Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Catania

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Catania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,561 in Catania.

Barcelona $2,381
Catania $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,390 in Catania.

Barcelona $3,406
Catania $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,219 in Catania.

Barcelona $4,431
Catania $3,219

Living in Barcelona is roughly 52% more expensive than in Catania, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Catania 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$17.12 €15.23

4.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$55.8 €49.62

18.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.11 €9.88

23.22%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.10 €1.86

45.71%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.90 €2.58

5.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.07 €1.84

-6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.70 €5.96

-42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.09 €3.64

12.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.31 €1.17

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.59 €1.41

32.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.68 €2.39

-31.72%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.41 €3.03

35.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$11.37 €10.12

52.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$12.04 €10.71

-22.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$15.66 €13.93

26.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.99 €1.77

51.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.68 €1.50

20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.38 €1.23

92.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.66 €2.37

7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.76 €1.56

22.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.31 €1.16

64.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.23 €1.09

19.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.47 €0.42

87.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$6.57 €5.84

5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.89 €7.02

-0.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.75 €1.56

-20.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.53 €1.36

71.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.60 €1.43

81.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$36.97 €32.89

-31.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.44 €3.95

-32.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.10 €0.98

30.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$22.19 €19.74

49.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.13 €1.90

-12.68%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$36.7K €32.6K

-11.80%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$37.0K €32.9K

-14.28%

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

$183 €163

$315 €280

-42.02%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$10.58 €9.41

28.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$34.75 €30.91

-5.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$60.0 €53.4

-8.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$14.53 €12.92

13.70%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.16 €8.15

22.60%

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

$954 €849

$447 €397

113.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$6,707 €5,966

147.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$85.8 €76.3

0.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$33.89 €30.15

15.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$88.2 €78.4

17.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$128 €114

-7.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$607 €539

179.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$381 €339

234.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,153 €1,026

123.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$783 €696

145.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,254 €2,005

222.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,522 €1,354

229.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,763 €1,568

26.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.55

-7.61%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Catania: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Catania

$381 24.4% 70.1% $895

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Catania

$280 17.9% 14% $46

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Catania

$257 16.5% 4.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Catania

$361 23.1% 57.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Catania

$151 9.7% 3.3% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Catania

$78 5% 1.5% $1.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Catania

$53 3.4% 12.7% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $607 in Catania. 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $56.0 in Catania for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $280 per month, with Catania cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Catania

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

298,037

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Catania 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Catania

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 Catania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Catania differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,561 including rent). Catania 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $607 in Catania. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $447 in Catania. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,561 in Catania versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Catania but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Catania 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 Catania 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 Catania gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.