Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hamra

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamra: $1,000 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,399
/mo nomad
Hamra
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$1,000
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hamra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,000 in Hamra.

  • Barcelona $2,399
  • Hamra $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,601 in Hamra.

  • Barcelona $3,410
  • Hamra $1,601

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $2,203 in Hamra.

  • Barcelona $4,421
  • Hamra $2,203

Living in Barcelona is roughly 140% more expensive than in Hamra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Hamra is 26% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Hamra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.94 €15.96
$12.04 LBP 1.1M
49.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €60.5
$68.8 LBP 6.2M
-1.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.28 €11.81
$9.89 LBP 884.8K
34.28%
Cappuccino
$3.25 €2.89
$4.51 LBP 403.9K
-27.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.67
$2.27 LBP 203.2K
32.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 €1.66
$0.90 LBP 80.7K
107.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.85 €3.42
$4.88 LBP 436.6K
-21.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 €3.98
$4.81 LBP 430.7K
-6.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Hamra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.98 LBP 177.2K
-34.85%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 €1.81
$0.89 LBP 79.9K
129.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$2.24 LBP 200.2K
-23.21%
Eggs
$4.77 €4.24
$3.52 LBP 315.3K
35.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.77 €14.92
$11.22 LBP 1.0M
49.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.93 €7.94
$10.58 LBP 946.6K
-15.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.88 €17.68
$14.75 LBP 1.3M
34.78%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.65
$2.99 LBP 268.0K
-0.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.80
$1.71 LBP 153.1K
18.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.73 €2.43
$1.69 LBP 150.9K
61.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.68 €2.38
$1.46 LBP 131.1K
83.56%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.26 LBP 112.6K
66.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.55 LBP 138.4K
34.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.17 LBP 104.6K
23.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 €0.79
$0.69 LBP 61.6K
28.99%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.94 €6.17
$3.08 LBP 275.5K
125.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.78 €6.92
$10.83 LBP 968.9K
-28.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.33 LBP 119.0K
9.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 €2.29
$2.58 LBP 231.1K
-0.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Hamra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 €2.66
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.20 €22.41
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.12 €2.77
$4.98 LBP 445.7K
-37.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.31 LBP 206.9K
-37.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.50 €29.80
$22.69 LBP 2.0M
47.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 €1.59
$1.06 LBP 94.7K
68.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K €30.8K
$52.9K LBP 4.7B
-34.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K €26.7K
$32.5K LBP 2.9B
-7.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Hamra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 €158
$233 LBP 20.9M
-23.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.32 €11.85
$22.40 LBP 2.0M
-40.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.88 €31.03
$37.66 LBP 3.4M
-7.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Hamra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 €47.37
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.01 €14.24
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.84
$9.96 LBP 891.0K
11.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Hamra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$957 €851
$690 LBP 61.8M
38.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.7K
$10.7K LBP 956.8M
54.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Hamra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.2 €78.4
$68.2 LBP 6.1M
29.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.49 €35.12
$48.41 LBP 4.3M
-18.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €91.5
$137 LBP 12.3M
-25.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$119 LBP 10.7M
1.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Hamra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 €1,470
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,302 €1,158
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,557 €2,275
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,915 €1,703
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,286 €6,481
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,080 €4,519
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Hamra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,281 €2,029
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
11
-70.18%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hamra: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Hamra
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$320
Hamra
$275 14% $45
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Hamra
$227 16% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$226
Hamra
$293 29.6% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Hamra
$168 6.1% $9.6
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$75
Hamra
$20 * 73.6% $55
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Hamra
$17 * 65.2% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $69.0 in Hamra. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $275, with Hamra cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇱🇧 Hamra
🕒 Local time
19:20 7:20 PM
20:20 8:20 PM
1 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
1,251,739
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Hamra 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Hamra

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 Hamra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Hamra?
Barcelona and Hamra differ by about 140% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,000 including rent). Hamra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Hamra?
You'd need roughly $3,599 in Barcelona and $1,499 in Hamra 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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Hamra?
Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $690 in Hamra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Hamra – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,000 in Hamra versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hamra but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Hamra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Hamra?
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 Hamra safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Hamra 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 Hamra?
Expats usually find Hamra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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