Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Chios

For one person, living is cheaper in Chios: $1,445 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Chios
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Chios Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Chios

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Chios

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,445 in Chios.

Barcelona $2,381
Chios $1,445

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,157 in Chios.

Barcelona $3,406
Chios $2,157

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,868 in Chios.

Barcelona $4,431
Chios $2,868

Living in Barcelona is roughly 65% more expensive than in Chios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Chios 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.18 €12.61

26.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$44.61 €39.68

48.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.71 €12.19

-0.15%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.64 €3.24

-15.93%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.44 €2.17

25.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.96 €0.86

102.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.39 €3.91

-11.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.44 €3.95

3.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.54 €1.37

-15.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.38 €1.23

52.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.66 €2.36

-31.20%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.75 €4.22

-2.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$13.50 €12.01

28.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.49 €8.44

-2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.35 €12.76

38.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.17 €1.93

38.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.38 €1.23

92.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.99 €1.77

44.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.13 €1.01

91.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.16 €1.03

85.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.05 €0.93

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.85 €0.76

3.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.46 €4.85

26.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.86 €6.10

14.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.98 €1.76

-29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.60 €2.32

1.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.30 €1.16

123.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$45.15 €40.16

-43.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.30 €3.82

-30.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.13 €1.01

27.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$16.04 €14.26

106.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.17 €1.93

-14.29%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$27.5K €24.5K

17.61%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.2K €22.4K

25.86%

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

$183 €163

$202 €179

-9.36%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$23.34 €20.76

-41.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$30.50 €27.13

7.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$51.5 €45.77

6.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$24.90 €22.15

-33.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.01 €8.01

24.64%

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

$954 €849

$426 €379

123.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,589 €6,750

118.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$90.3 €80.3

-4.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$39.86 €35.45

-1.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$89.3 €79.4

16.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

-0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$489 €435

246.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$388 €345

229.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$758 €674

239.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$605 €538

217.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,645 €2,352

175.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,230 €1,984

124.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.46

-26.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chios: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Chios

$388 26.8% 69.6% $889

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Chios

$277 19.2% 14.7% $48

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Chios

$243 16.8% 9.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Chios

$255 17.7% 11.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Chios

$152 10.5% 2.6% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Chios

$69 4.8% 10% $7.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Chios

$60 4.2% 27.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $489 in Chios. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $45.00 in Chios for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $277 per month, with Chios cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇷 Chios

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

53,408

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Chios 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Chios

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 Chios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Chios differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,445 including rent). Chios 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 $2,168 in Chios 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 $489 in Chios. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $426 in Chios. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,445 in Chios versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chios but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Chios 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 Chios 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 Chios gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.