Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Frascati

For one person, living is cheaper in Frascati: $1,738 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,399
/mo nomad
Frascati
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,738
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Frascati

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,738 in Frascati.

  • Barcelona $2,399
  • Frascati $1,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,620 in Frascati.

  • Barcelona $3,410
  • Frascati $2,620

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,502 in Frascati.

  • Barcelona $4,421
  • Frascati $3,502

Living in Barcelona is roughly 38% more expensive than in Frascati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Frascati 29% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Frascati
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.94 €15.96
$22.42 €19.95
-19.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €60.5
$66.0 €58.7
3.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.28 €11.81
$14.29 €12.72
-7.07%
Cappuccino
$3.25 €2.89
$2.09 €1.86
55.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.67
$3.01 €2.68
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.47 €1.31
27.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.85 €3.42
$6.71 €5.97
-42.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 €3.98
$7.93 €7.05
-43.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Frascati
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.75 €1.56
-26.29%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 €1.81
$2.20 €1.95
-7.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$2.94 €2.62
-41.50%
Eggs
$4.77 €4.24
$4.73 €4.21
0.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.77 €14.92
$14.80 €13.17
13.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.93 €7.94
$12.23 €10.88
-26.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.88 €17.68
$19.42 €17.27
2.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.65
$2.56 €2.28
16.41%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.80
$2.35 €2.09
-13.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.73 €2.43
$2.46 €2.19
10.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.68 €2.38
$2.40 €2.13
11.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.43 €1.27
46.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.55 €1.38
34.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.39 €1.24
4.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 €0.79
$0.54 €0.48
64.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.94 €6.17
$7.12 €6.33
-2.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.78 €6.92
$5.46 €4.86
42.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.63 €1.45
-11.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 €2.29
$2.52 €2.25
1.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Frascati
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 €2.66
$1.68 €1.50
77.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.20 €22.41
$41.89 €37.26
-39.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.12 €2.77
$3.71 €3.30
-15.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.25 €1.11
15.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.50 €29.80
$30.64 €27.26
9.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 €1.59
$2.08 €1.85
-13.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K €30.8K
$35.9K €31.9K
-3.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K €26.7K
$34.4K €30.6K
-12.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Frascati
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 €158
$204 €182
-12.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.32 €11.85
$11.32 €10.06
17.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.88 €31.03
$31.88 €28.35
9.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Frascati
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 €47.37
$61.1 €54.3
-12.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.01 €14.24
$21.97 €19.54
-27.13%
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.84
$11.21 €9.97
-1.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Frascati
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$957 €851
$477 €424
100.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.7K
$16.7K €14.8K
-0.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Frascati
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.2 €78.4
$71.7 €63.7
23.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.49 €35.12
$36.52 €32.48
8.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €91.5
$82.0 €73.0
25.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$122 €108
-0.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Frascati
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 €1,470
$718 €639
130.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,302 €1,158
$567 €505
129.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,557 €2,275
$1,158 €1,030
120.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,915 €1,703
$877 €780
118.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,286 €6,481
$2,883 €2,565
152.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,080 €4,519
$1,991 €1,771
155.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Frascati
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,281 €2,029
$2,498 €2,222
-8.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
3.5
-6.29%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Frascati: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Frascati
$567 56.4% $734
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$320
Frascati
$326 1.9% $6.2
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Frascati
$315 16.5% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$226
Frascati
$247 9.4% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Frascati
$140 11.4% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$75
Frascati
$83 10.8% $8.1
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Frascati
$59 23.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $718 in Frascati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frascati pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $66.0 in Frascati. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $326, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇮🇹 Frascati
🕒 Local time
10:41 10:41 AM
10:41 10:41 AM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
22,087
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Frascati 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Frascati

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 Frascati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Frascati?
Barcelona and Frascati differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,738 including rent). Frascati is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Frascati. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Frascati?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $718 in Frascati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Frascati?
Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $477 in Frascati. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $1,738 in Frascati versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Frascati but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Frascati the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Frascati?
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.
Is Barcelona or Frascati safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Frascati are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Frascati?
Expats usually find Frascati gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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