Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Chambery

For one person, living is cheaper in Chambery: $1,598 a month against $2,381 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.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Chambery
Learn more

Chambery Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Chambery

🇫🇷 France

$1,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Chambery

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,598 in Chambery.

Barcelona $2,381
Chambery $1,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,642 in Chambery.

Barcelona $3,406
Chambery $2,642

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,687 in Chambery.

Barcelona $4,431
Chambery $3,687

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Chambery 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.95

$16.85 €15.02

6.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$45.63 €40.67

44.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.20

$13.24 €11.80

3.40%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$4.02 €3.58

-23.88%

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

$3.07 €2.74

$2.80 €2.50

9.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.68 €1.50

15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$7.68 €6.84

-49.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.11

$6.32 €5.63

-27.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.48 €1.32

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.71 €1.52

22.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.57 €2.29

-28.79%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.12

$4.64 €4.14

-0.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.47

$22.86 €20.38

-24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.27

$12.15 €10.83

-23.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.68

$23.46 €20.91

-15.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.69

$2.33 €2.08

29.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.53 €2.26

-19.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.44 €3.06

-22.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$3.20 €2.85

-10.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.50 €2.23

-13.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.96 €2.64

-27.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.34 €1.20

9.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.06 €0.95

-16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.17

$11.07 €9.86

-37.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.98

$8.22 €7.32

-4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.67 €2.38

-47.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.35

$3.24 €2.89

-18.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.30 €2.05

26.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.69

$53.8 €47.95

-52.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.67

$8.18 €7.29

-63.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$2.15 €1.92

-33.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.59

$42.11 €37.53

-21.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.21 €1.97

-15.84%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$35.3K €31.5K

-8.42%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$38.2K €34.1K

-17.03%

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

$183 €163

$113 €101

61.92%

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

$13.61 €12.13

$14.12 €12.59

-3.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.35

$29.84 €26.59

10.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.75

$33.29 €29.67

64.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.73

$11.25 €10.03

46.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €10.01

$15.01 €13.38

-25.18%

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

$954 €850

$618 €551

54.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$11.6K €10.3K

43.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.7

$109 €96.9

-20.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.86

$43.33 €38.62

-9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$111 €98.8

-6.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$128 €114

-7.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,511

$593 €529

185.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,137

$443 €395

188.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,296

$1,131 €1,008

127.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,713

$1,101 €981

74.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,490

$3,894 €3,471

86.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,465

$4,161 €3,709

20.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,985

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.68

-10.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chambery: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Chambery

$443 27.7% 65.3% $833

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Chambery

$385 24.1% 18.4% $60

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Chambery

$292 18.3% 8.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Chambery

$157 9.8% 31.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Chambery

$176 11% 12.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Chambery

$63 4% 17.9% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Chambery

$82 5.1% 73.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $593 in Chambery. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Barcelona vs $46 in Chambery. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $385, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Chambery

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

59,856

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Chambery 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Chambery

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 Chambery: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Chambery differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,598 including rent). Chambery 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 $2,397 in Chambery 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 $593 in Chambery. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $618 in Chambery. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Chambery is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Chambery are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.