Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,530 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Forbes despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Forbes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,530 in Forbes.

Barcelona $2,443
Forbes $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,647 in Forbes.

Barcelona $3,519
Forbes $3,647

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,764 in Forbes.

Barcelona $4,595
Forbes $4,764

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 3% less than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Forbes 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$17.25 A$24.58

2.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$84.4 A$120

-20.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$10.54 A$15.01

29.13%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$4.05 A$5.77

-23.46%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.90 A$4.13

3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.22 A$3.16

-13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$7.75 A$11.04

-50.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$7.45 A$10.62

-41.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.52 A$2.17

-17.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.71 A$3.87

-21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.24 A$3.19

-12.05%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$5.06 A$7.21

-5.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$9.58 A$13.65

78.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$9.16 A$13.06

-2.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$14.47 A$20.62

42.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$3.69 A$5.26

-14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.04 A$4.33

-35.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.28 A$4.67

-19.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$4.71 A$6.71

-38.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.77 A$3.94

-25.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.39 A$3.41

-8.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.33 A$3.32

-34.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.53 A$2.18

-36.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$42.64 A$60.8

-83.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

$14.23 A$20.28

-44.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$4.78 A$6.81

-70.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$5.21 A$7.43

-48.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.77 A$3.95

19.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$85.2 A$121

-69.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.56 A$5.08

-13.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.63 A$2.32

-9.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$40.80 A$58.2

-19.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.32 A$1.87

41.67%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$29.2K A$41.7K

12.73%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$26.1K A$37.2K

22.26%

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

$183 €163

$212 A$302

-13.72%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$27.83 A$39.66

-48.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$57.0 A$81.2

-39.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$56.1 A$79.9

-8.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$17.97 A$25.60

-8.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$14.18 A$20.20

-22.00%

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

$944 €841

$2,134 A$3,040

-55.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$20.0K A$28.5K

11.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$76.2 A$109

15.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$54.2 A$77.2

-28.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$106 A$152

-1.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$123 A$175

-4.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$1,386 A$1,976

22.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$1,220 A$1,739

9.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$2,234 A$3,183

20.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$1,836 A$2,616

13.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$5,936 A$8,459

20.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$4,932 A$7,028

2.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

5.9

-45.93%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Forbes: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Forbes

$1.2K 48.2% 8.7% $117

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Forbes

$366 14.5% 11.8% $39

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Forbes

$292 11.6% 9.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Forbes

$297 11.7% 28.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Forbes

$162 6.4% 3.1% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Forbes

$84 3.3% 14.8% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Forbes

$108 4.3% 119% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,386 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $84 in Forbes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $366 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

08:55 8:55 AM

10 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

8,481

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Forbes 16,890 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Forbes

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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,530 in Forbes, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $3,795 in Forbes 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,386 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $2,134 in Forbes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Forbes. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Forbes are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.