Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Colima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $941 in Colima.

Barcelona $2,453
Colima $941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,533 in Colima.

Barcelona $3,509
Colima $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,125 in Colima.

Barcelona $4,564
Colima $2,125

Living in Barcelona is roughly 161% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Colima is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$7.36 MX$138

138.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$32.08 MX$602

110.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$7.15 MX$134

89.23%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.09 MX$39.23

52.63%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.97 MX$18.25

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.83 MX$15.52

127.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.20 MX$41.26

82.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.48 MX$46.62

82.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.51 MX$28.33

-13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.54 MX$47.64

-20.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.14 MX$21.37

62.28%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.77 MX$52.0

74.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$8.19 MX$154

104.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.31 MX$156

9.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$9.69 MX$182

102.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.80 MX$52.6

6.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.35 MX$25.42

49.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.69 MX$31.65

59.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.12 MX$39.79

32.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.29 MX$43.04

-8.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.27 MX$42.59

-8.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.47 MX$27.52

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.11 MX$20.89

-15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$3.73 MX$70.1

84.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$6.36 MX$119

24.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.49 MX$27.96

-5.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.73 MX$32.53

46.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.68 MX$12.70

361.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$19.57 MX$367

30.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.49 MX$46.74

20.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.77 MX$52.0

-46.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$9.16 MX$172

264.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.38 MX$25.95

30.43%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$22.1K MX$415.8K

49.86%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$22.0K MX$412.4K

44.31%

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

$180 €162

$65.5 MX$1,229

175.60%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$19.85 MX$373

-30.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$28.60 MX$537

17.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$34.63 MX$650

48.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$21.43 MX$402

-25.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$4.68 MX$88.0

134.83%

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

$917 €821

$141 MX$2,652

548.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$2,527 MX$47.4K

552.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$44.57 MX$837

95.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$24.99 MX$469

54.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$73.3 MX$1,376

44.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$98.0 MX$1,840

22.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$257 MX$4,825

561.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$263 MX$4,931

416.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$369 MX$6,926

605.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$574 MX$10.8K

259.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$280 MX$5,261

688.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

11.3

-70.97%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Colima

$263 27.9% 80.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Colima

$245 26% 23.9% $77

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Colima

$129 13.7% 52% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Colima

$114 12.1% 50% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Colima

$108 11.5% 31.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Colima

$44 4.7% 40.1% $30

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Colima

$39 4.1% 20.4% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $257 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $32 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $245 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

15:13 3:13 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

146,965

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Colima 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Colima

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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $941 in Colima, so Colima is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 7.9 times higher, 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 $257 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $141 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $941 in Colima versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Colima 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 Colima are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.