Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Chartres

For one person, living is cheaper in Chartres: $1,745 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Chartres
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Chartres Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Chartres

🇫🇷 France

$1,745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Chartres

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,745 in Chartres.

Barcelona $2,453
Chartres $1,745

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,654 in Chartres.

Barcelona $3,509
Chartres $2,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,562 in Chartres.

Barcelona $4,564
Chartres $3,562

Living in Barcelona is roughly 41% more expensive than in Chartres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Chartres 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$14.66 €13.18

19.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$49.78 €44.73

35.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$10.72 €9.63

26.21%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.65 €2.38

20.38%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.10 €2.79

-6.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.53 €1.37

23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$8.61 €7.73

-53.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.68 €5.10

-20.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.35 €1.21

-2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.74 €1.57

16.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.57 €2.31

-28.02%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.98 €3.58

21.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$10.19 €9.15

64.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$11.82 €10.62

-22.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$16.18 €14.54

21.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.08 €2.77

-3.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.14 €2.82

-35.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.46 €1.31

84.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.31 €3.87

-35.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.80 €1.62

16.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.09 €1.88

-0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.64 €1.48

-10.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.13 €0.12

623.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$12.69 €11.40

-45.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.09

$5.52 €4.96

42.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.40 €1.26

0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.57 €1.41

61.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.97 €1.77

59.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$49.28 €44.28

-48.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.33 €2.09

28.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.11 €1.00

34.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.99

$32.85 €29.52

1.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$2.17 €1.95

-17.05%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$16.9K €15.2K

96.05%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$23.9K €21.5K

32.69%

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

$180 €162

$203 €182

-10.91%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$21.60 €19.41

-35.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.28

$32.27 €28.99

4.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.28

$35.65 €32.03

44.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$13.16 €11.82

21.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$15.46 €13.89

-28.91%

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

$917 €824

$886 €796

3.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$12.0K €10.8K

37.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$128 €115

-32.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.60

$46.44 €41.72

-17.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$102 €91.4

4.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$97.5 €87.6

22.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$756 €679

124.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,218

$639 €574

112.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$1,445 €1,298

80.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,170 €1,052

76.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,213

$4,188 €3,763

65.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,607

$2,043 €1,835

151.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.9

-15.90%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chartres: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Chartres

$639 36.6% 52.9% $716

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Chartres

$296 17% 8.1% $26

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Chartres

$254 14.6% 5.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Chartres

$256 14.7% 12.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Chartres

$168 9.6% 6.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Chartres

$67 3.8% 9.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Chartres

$65 3.7% 34.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $756 in Chartres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $50 in Chartres for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $296 per month, with Chartres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Chartres

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

38,447

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Chartres 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Chartres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Chartres differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $1,745 including rent). Chartres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,618 in Chartres 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $756 in Chartres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $886 in Chartres. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,745 in Chartres versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chartres but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Chartres 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 Chartres are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.