Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hearst

For one person, living is cheaper in Hearst: $2,266 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
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Hearst Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hearst

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,266 in Hearst.

Barcelona $2,443
Hearst $2,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,257 in Hearst.

Barcelona $3,519
Hearst $3,257

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,248 in Hearst.

Barcelona $4,595
Hearst $4,248

Living in Barcelona is roughly 8% more expensive than in Hearst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Hearst 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$18.11 CA$25.27

-2.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$63.8 CA$89.1

5.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$10.50 CA$14.66

29.62%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$3.69 CA$5.14

-15.99%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.07 CA$2.88

44.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.63 CA$2.28

18.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$5.11 CA$7.12

-24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$5.69 CA$7.94

-23.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.05 CA$2.86

-39.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.62 CA$3.65

-19.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.50 CA$4.88

-43.71%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$3.53 CA$4.93

34.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$10.31 CA$14.39

65.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$11.37 CA$15.87

-21.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$14.66 CA$20.46

40.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.93 CA$5.49

-19.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.30 CA$1.82

51.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.71 CA$5.17

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$3.78 CA$5.27

-23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.34 CA$3.27

-11.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.18 CA$3.05

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.44 CA$3.41

-37.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.60 CA$2.23

-39.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$14.54 CA$20.29

-52.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$12.72 CA$17.75

-37.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.68 CA$3.74

-47.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.05 CA$4.26

-11.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.35 CA$3.27

40.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$63.0 CA$87.9

-59.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.94 CA$4.10

4.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.47 CA$2.05

0.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$23.99 CA$33.47

37.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.21 CA$1.69

54.55%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$27.4K CA$38.2K

20.32%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$21.7K CA$30.3K

47.10%

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

$183 €162

$139 CA$193

31.91%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$39.53 CA$55.2

-63.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$54.8 CA$76.5

-36.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$38.30 CA$53.5

34.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

$18.53 CA$25.86

-11.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$10.78 CA$15.05

2.60%

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

$944 €838

$639 CA$891

47.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$13.4K CA$18.7K

65.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$54.3 CA$75.8

61.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$38.41 CA$53.6

0.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$86.7 CA$121

20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$103 CA$143

14.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$1,267 CA$1,768

33.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$1,138 CA$1,588

17.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$1,968 CA$2,746

36.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$1,706 CA$2,381

21.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$4,305 CA$6,007

66.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$3,533 CA$4,931

43.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

$3,177 CA$4,433

-29.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.68

-31.84%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hearst: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Hearst

$1.1K 50.2% 14.9% $199

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Hearst

$353 15.6% 7.7% $25

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Hearst

$272 12% 2% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Hearst

$233 10.3% 0.6% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Hearst

$127 5.6% 19.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Hearst

$60 2.6% 18.6% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Hearst

$83 3.7% 67.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,267 in Hearst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hearst pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $64 in Hearst. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $353, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Hearst

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

08:27 8:27 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 CAD = 0.717 USD

1 CAD = 0.639 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Hearst 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hearst

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 Hearst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,266 in Hearst, so Hearst is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,267 in Hearst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $639 in Hearst. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Hearst 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.