Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cento

For one person, living is cheaper in Cento: $1,638 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Cento

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,638 in Cento.

Barcelona $2,443
Cento $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,655 in Cento.

Barcelona $3,519
Cento $2,655

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,672 in Cento.

Barcelona $4,595
Cento $3,672

Living in Barcelona is roughly 49% more expensive than in Cento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Cento 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$20.05 €17.84

-11.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$90.2 €80.3

-25.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$13.35 €11.88

1.95%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$2.27 €2.02

36.56%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$3.45 €3.07

-13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.64 €1.46

17.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$6.09 €5.42

-36.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$5.62 €5.01

-22.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.43 €1.27

-12.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.76 €2.46

-23.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.72 €2.42

-27.57%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$3.87 €3.44

23.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$18.13 €16.13

-5.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$12.27 €10.92

-26.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$17.32 €15.42

19.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.24 €1.99

41.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.70 €1.51

15.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.95 €1.74

35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.46 €2.19

17.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.35 €1.20

52.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.41 €1.26

54.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.63 €1.45

-6.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.56 €0.50

73.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$6.67 €5.93

4.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$7.78 €6.92

1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.56 €1.38

-8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.89 €1.69

42.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.63 €1.45

103.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$42.22 €37.58

-39.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$4.48 €3.99

-31.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$27.78 €24.72

18.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.10 €1.87

-10.95%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$35.5K €31.6K

-7.20%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$37.9K €33.8K

-15.79%

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

$183 €163

$237 €211

-22.84%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$11.28 €10.04

26.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$27.99 €24.91

23.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$53.5 €47.65

-3.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

$23.42 €20.84

-30.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$10.15 €9.04

8.97%

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

$944 €840

$425 €378

122.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$4,424 €3,937

403.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$88.3 €78.6

-0.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$43.51 €38.72

-10.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$93.5 €83.2

11.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$150 €134

-21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$536 €477

216.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$444 €395

201.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$1,062 €945

153.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$915 €814

126.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$2,942 €2,618

143.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$2,022 €1,799

151.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

$1,779 €1,583

25.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cento: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Cento

$444 27.1% 66.8% $893

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Cento

$325 19.8% 0.9% $3.1

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Cento

$290 17.7% 8.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Cento

$276 16.9% 19.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Cento

$169 10.3% 7.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cento

$74 4.5% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Cento

$61 3.7% 22.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $536 in Cento. 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $90 in Cento. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $325, with Cento cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Cento

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

35,582

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Cento 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Cento

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 Cento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,638 in Cento, so Cento is about 33% cheaper – 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $536 in Cento. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $425 in Cento. 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 $90 in Cento. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,638 in Cento versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cento but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cento 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cento wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.