Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Fuengirola

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuengirola: $1,702 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Fuengirola
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Fuengirola Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Fuengirola

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,702

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Fuengirola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,702 in Fuengirola.

Barcelona $2,453
Fuengirola $1,702

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,554 in Fuengirola.

Barcelona $3,509
Fuengirola $2,554

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,407 in Fuengirola.

Barcelona $4,564
Fuengirola $3,407

Living in Barcelona is roughly 44% more expensive than in Fuengirola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Fuengirola 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$15.83 €14.22

11.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$68.1 €61.2

-0.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$10.01 €8.99

35.16%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.68 €2.41

19.03%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.43 €2.19

19.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.99 €1.79

-5.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.38 €3.04

18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.35 €3.91

4.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.22 €1.10

7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.50 €1.34

34.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.49 €1.34

24.16%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.89 €2.60

67.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$15.64 €14.05

7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$7.86 €7.06

16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$11.97 €10.75

64.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.32 €2.08

28.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.96 €1.76

3.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.68 €1.51

60.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.45 €2.20

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.60 €1.44

30.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.58 €1.42

31.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.21 €1.09

20.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.68 €0.61

38.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$5.67 €5.10

21.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$6.91 €6.21

14.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.03 €0.93

36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.55 €1.39

63.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.20 €1.97

42.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$11.24 €10.10

126.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.85 €1.66

61.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.23 €1.11

21.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$22.06 €19.82

51.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.75 €1.57

2.86%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$33.7K €30.3K

-1.53%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$30.3K €27.2K

4.71%

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

$180 €162

$162 €146

11.26%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$10.57 €9.50

30.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$24.68 €22.17

36.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$45.57 €40.93

13.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$33.31 €29.93

-52.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$9.43 €8.47

16.54%

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

$917 €823

$383 €344

139.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.0K €9,006

64.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$62.2 €55.9

39.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$35.46 €31.86

8.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$71.2 €64.0

48.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$81.1 €72.9

47.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,062 €954

60.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$815 €732

66.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,760 €1,581

47.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,321 €1,187

56.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,565 €3,202

93.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,700 €2,426

89.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,753 €1,575

26.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.3

-0.61%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fuengirola: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Fuengirola

$815 47.9% 39.9% $540

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Fuengirola

$252 14.8% 21.7% $70

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Fuengirola

$232 13.6% 13.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Fuengirola

$197 11.6% 13.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Fuengirola

$112 6.6% 28.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Fuengirola

$64 3.8% 12.4% $9.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Fuengirola

$28 1.7% 42.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,062 in Fuengirola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 26% 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 $68 in Fuengirola. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $252, with Fuengirola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Fuengirola

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

85,598

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Fuengirola 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Fuengirola

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 Fuengirola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Fuengirola differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $1,702 including rent). Fuengirola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% 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 $1,062 in Fuengirola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $383 in Fuengirola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Fuengirola runs roughly 56% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Fuengirola 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 Fuengirola are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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