Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Genoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Genoa: $1,775 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Genoa
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Genoa Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Genoa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Genoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,775 in Genoa.

Barcelona $2,453
Genoa $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,716 in Genoa.

Barcelona $3,509
Genoa $2,716

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,658 in Genoa.

Barcelona $4,564
Genoa $3,658

Living in Barcelona is roughly 38% more expensive than in Genoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Genoa 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$16.81 €15.06

4.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$85.4 €76.6

-21.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.35 €11.97

1.35%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.01 €1.80

58.71%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.97 €2.66

-2.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.49 €1.34

26.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.83 €6.12

-41.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.44 €4.88

-16.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.85 €1.66

-29.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.39 €2.14

-15.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.22 €2.89

-42.55%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.79 €4.29

0.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$18.04 €16.16

-7.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.70 €11.38

-28.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$20.57 €18.44

-4.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.75 €2.47

8.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.15 €1.92

-6.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.83 €2.53

-4.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.34 €2.99

-16.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.15 €1.92

-2.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.87 €1.68

10.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.63 €1.46

-10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.53 €0.47

77.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.16 €6.41

-4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.66 €6.87

3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.33 €2.09

-39.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.88 €2.58

-11.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.19 €1.96

43.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$54.0 €48.42

-52.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$6.63 €5.94

-54.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.31 €1.18

13.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$33.30 €29.84

0.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.09 €1.87

-13.88%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.6K €31.9K

-6.76%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.0K €33.2K

-14.33%

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

$180 €162

$243 €218

-25.76%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$10.28 €9.21

34.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$31.56 €28.28

6.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$49.23 €44.11

4.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$15.35 €13.75

3.97%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.72 €7.81

26.03%

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

$917 €821

$364 €327

151.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$12.4K €11.1K

33.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$72.6 €65.1

19.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$37.83 €33.90

1.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$90.9 €81.4

16.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$122 €109

-1.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$825 €740

105.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$576 €516

135.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,399 €1,254

85.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$926 €830

122.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,700 €3,316

86.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,360 €1,218

277.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,067 €1,852

6.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.38

-2.96%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Genoa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Genoa

$576 32.5% 57.5% $779

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Genoa

$364 20.5% 13.2% $42

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Genoa

$262 14.7% 2.4% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Genoa

$285 16.1% 25% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Genoa

$146 8.2% 7.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Genoa

$67 3.8% 9.3% $6.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Genoa

$76 4.3% 56.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $825 in Genoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 7% 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 $85 in Genoa 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

🇮🇹 Genoa

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

586,655

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Genoa 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Genoa

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 Genoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,775 in Genoa, so Genoa is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% 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 $825 in Genoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $364 in Genoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,775 in Genoa versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Genoa but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Genoa 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.

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