Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ciudad Obregon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon: $1,129 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Obregon
Learn more

Ciudad Obregon Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ciudad Obregon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ciudad Obregon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,129 in Ciudad Obregon.

Barcelona $2,453
Ciudad Obregon $1,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,686 in Ciudad Obregon.

Barcelona $3,509
Ciudad Obregon $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,243 in Ciudad Obregon.

Barcelona $4,564
Ciudad Obregon $2,243

Living in Barcelona is roughly 117% more expensive than in Ciudad Obregon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Ciudad Obregon is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.71

$10.79 MX$200

63.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$35.52 MX$660

90.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.08

$8.68 MX$161

55.88%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.90 MX$53.8

10.00%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.19 MX$22.16

144.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.82 MX$15.30

130.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$2.55 MX$47.30

57.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.05

$3.84 MX$71.3

17.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.69 MX$31.41

-22.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.26 MX$41.95

-10.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.89 MX$16.51

107.87%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.32

$3.10 MX$57.6

55.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.95

$4.24 MX$78.7

294.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$5.47 MX$102

66.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.54

$10.70 MX$199

83.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$1.79 MX$33.26

66.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.11 MX$20.59

81.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.11 MX$20.62

143.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.30 MX$24.15

115.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.80 MX$33.35

16.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.16 MX$40.16

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.56 MX$10.44

160.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.40 MX$26.01

-32.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.14

$4.19 MX$77.8

63.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$8.81 MX$164

-10.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.56 MX$10.48

151.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.31 MX$24.27

93.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.81

$0.68 MX$12.55

361.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.73

$26.31 MX$489

-3.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$1.84 MX$34.25

62.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.68 MX$31.25

-11.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.81

$10.65 MX$198

213.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.30 MX$24.06

38.46%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$24.4K MX$452.8K

36.12%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$23.5K MX$435.6K

35.14%

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

$180 €161

$95.4 MX$1,771

89.21%

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

$13.84 €12.36

$27.91 MX$518

-50.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.10

$31.31 MX$581

7.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.01

$32.63 MX$606

57.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.26

$20.11 MX$373

-20.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.82

$3.68 MX$68.3

198.64%

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

$917 €819

$293 MX$5,446

212.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$4,826 MX$89.6K

241.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$43.53 MX$808

99.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.39

$32.76 MX$608

17.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$64.7 MX$1,201

63.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$65.7 MX$1,220

82.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,518

$609 MX$11.3K

179.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,211

$420 MX$7,802

222.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,325

$1,134 MX$21.1K

129.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,842

$660 MX$12.3K

212.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,176

$1,882 MX$35.0K

267.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,580

$1,110 MX$20.6K

361.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,975

$1,175 MX$21.8K

88.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

11.6

-71.72%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Obregon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ciudad Obregon

$420 37.2% 69% $935

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ciudad Obregon

$206 18.3% 36% $116

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ciudad Obregon

$176 15.6% 34.5% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ciudad Obregon

$155 13.7% 32.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ciudad Obregon

$93 8.2% 41.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ciudad Obregon

$40 3.5% 45.6% $34

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ciudad Obregon

$39 3.5% 19% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $609 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 88% 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 $36 in Ciudad Obregon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $206 per month, with Ciudad Obregon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇽 Ciudad Obregon

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

20:15 8:15 PM

8 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

329,404

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Ciudad Obregon 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ciudad Obregon

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 Ciudad Obregon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,129 in Ciudad Obregon, so Ciudad Obregon is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $609 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $293 in Ciudad Obregon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ciudad Obregon 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 Ciudad Obregon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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