Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Girona

For one person, living is cheaper in Girona: $1,846 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Girona
Learn more

Girona Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Girona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Girona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,846 in Girona.

Barcelona $2,453
Girona $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,708 in Girona.

Barcelona $3,509
Girona $2,708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,569 in Girona.

Barcelona $4,564
Girona $3,569

Living in Barcelona is roughly 33% more expensive than in Girona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Girona 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$18.17 €16.28

-3.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$61.2 €54.8

10.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.87 €7.95

52.54%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.39 €2.14

33.47%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.03 €1.81

43.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.01 €1.80

-5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.08 €3.65

-1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.50 €4.03

0.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.21 €1.09

8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.21 €1.08

66.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.46 €1.31

26.71%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.95 €2.64

63.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$11.12 €9.96

50.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.25 €7.39

10.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$14.50 €12.98

35.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.45 €2.19

21.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.17 €1.94

-6.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.14 €1.91

26.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.59 €2.32

8.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.62 €1.45

29.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.92 €1.72

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.36 €1.22

7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.65 €0.58

44.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.80 €6.09

1.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$6.58 €5.89

19.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.69 €1.52

-16.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.77 €1.59

43.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.92 €1.72

63.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$36.31 €32.52

-29.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.67 €2.39

11.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.79 €1.60

-16.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$22.18 €19.86

50.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.79 €1.61

0.56%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.7K €32.0K

-6.97%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$30.4K €27.2K

4.33%

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

$180 €162

$127 €114

41.56%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$23.40 €20.95

-40.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$35.23 €31.56

-4.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$50.5 €45.19

2.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$22.34 €20.00

-28.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.06 €8.11

21.30%

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

$917 €821

$697 €624

31.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$9,315 €8,343

76.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$76.9 €68.8

13.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$43.92 €39.34

-12.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$81.1 €72.6

30.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$122 €109

-1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,236 €1,107

37.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$890 €797

52.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,042 €1,829

27.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,352 €1,211

52.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$5,303 €4,749

30.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$3,682 €3,298

39.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,807 €1,618

22.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.02

8.61%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Girona: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Girona

$890 48.2% 34.3% $465

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Girona

$254 13.8% 21.2% $68

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Girona

$246 13.3% 8.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Girona

$186 10.1% 18.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Girona

$146 7.9% 7.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Girona

$69 3.7% 6.7% $4.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Girona

$56 3% 14.6% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,236 in Girona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 22% 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 $61 in Girona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $254 per month, with Girona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Girona

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

104,320

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Girona 85 km

From you

Barcelona
Girona

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 Girona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,846 in Girona, so Girona is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% 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 $1,236 in Girona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $697 in Girona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

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