Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ferrara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ferrara: $1,597 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Ferrara
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Ferrara Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ferrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ferrara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,597 in Ferrara.

Barcelona $2,453
Ferrara $1,597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,497 in Ferrara.

Barcelona $3,509
Ferrara $2,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,396 in Ferrara.

Barcelona $4,564
Ferrara $3,396

Living in Barcelona is roughly 54% more expensive than in Ferrara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Ferrara 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$17.86 €15.93

-1.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$66.7 €59.6

1.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$11.06 €9.87

22.33%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$1.97 €1.76

61.93%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.61 €2.33

11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.23 €1.10

53.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$5.57 €4.97

-28.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$5.44 €4.85

-16.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.57 €1.40

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.77 €2.47

-27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$3.10 €2.76

-40.32%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.64 €4.14

4.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$18.14 €16.18

-7.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$11.16 €9.95

-18.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$24.84 €22.16

-20.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.99 €2.67

-0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.43 €1.28

41.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$3.91 €3.49

-30.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.47 €3.99

-37.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.35 €2.10

-11.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.42 €2.16

-14.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.85 €1.65

-21.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.34 €0.30

176.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$6.70 €5.97

2.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$4.45 €3.97

77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.39 €1.24

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.16 €1.93

17.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$2.18 €1.94

44.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$29.93 €26.71

-14.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$8.51 €7.59

-64.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.98 €1.77

-24.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$33.04 €29.47

1.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.12 €1.89

-15.09%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$36.2K €32.3K

-8.32%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$38.2K €34.0K

-16.93%

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

$180 €161

$138 €123

30.89%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$9.50 €8.48

45.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$28.40 €25.34

18.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$36.89 €32.91

39.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$16.34 €14.58

-2.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$9.13 €8.14

20.37%

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

$917 €818

$336 €300

172.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$9,971 €8,896

65.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$95.7 €85.4

-9.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$32.98 €29.42

16.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$104 €92.4

2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$101 €90.5

18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$631 €563

169.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$541 €482

150.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,270 €1,133

104.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$910 €811

126.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$2,320 €2,070

198.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$1,818 €1,622

182.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,635 €1,459

35.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.37

-2.67%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ferrara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ferrara

$541 33.9% 60.1% $815

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ferrara

$364 22.8% 13.1% $42

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ferrara

$254 15.9% 5.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ferrara

$176 11% 22.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ferrara

$150 9.4% 4.9% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ferrara

$55 3.5% 25% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ferrara

$57 3.6% 17.7% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $631 in Ferrara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 35% 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 $67 in Ferrara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $364 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Ferrara

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

133,155

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Ferrara 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ferrara

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 Ferrara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,597 in Ferrara, so Ferrara is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% 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 $631 in Ferrara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $336 in Ferrara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 15% less than in Ferrara. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

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