Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Imatra

For one person, living is cheaper in Imatra: $1,729 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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 Imatra
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Imatra Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Imatra

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Imatra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,729 in Imatra.

Barcelona $2,453
Imatra $1,729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,634 in Imatra.

Barcelona $3,509
Imatra $2,634

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,539 in Imatra.

Barcelona $4,564
Imatra $3,539

Living in Barcelona is roughly 42% more expensive than in Imatra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Imatra 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$11.16 €10.02

57.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$55.0 €49.37

22.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$8.78 €7.89

54.10%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$4.34 €3.90

-26.50%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.97 €2.67

-2.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.93 €1.73

-2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$7.80 €7.00

-48.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$9.06 €8.14

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.72 €2.44

-25.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.40 €2.15

-22.92%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.14 €2.82

53.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$8.81 €7.91

90.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$14.38 €12.92

-36.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$21.44 €19.26

-8.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.37 €2.13

25.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.12 €1.91

-4.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.46 €2.21

9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.91 €3.51

-28.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.24 €1.12

68.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.90 €1.71

8.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.87 €2.58

-49.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.04 €1.83

-53.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$12.85 €11.54

-46.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$16.14 €14.50

-51.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.14 €2.82

-55.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.30 €2.97

-23.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.26 €2.93

-3.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$63.9 €57.4

-60.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$4.38 €3.93

-31.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.37 €1.23

8.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$65.6 €58.9

-49.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.38 €2.14

-24.37%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$37.0K €33.2K

-10.28%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$37.3K €33.5K

-15.01%

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

$180 €162

$130 €117

39.00%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$24.63 €22.13

-43.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$23.62 €21.22

42.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$45.78 €41.12

12.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$20.02 €17.98

-20.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$17.68 €15.89

-37.84%

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

$917 €823

$333 €299

175.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.3K €10.1K

46.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$96.8 €86.9

-10.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$49.47 €44.44

-22.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$102 €91.9

3.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$154 €138

-22.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$866 €778

96.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$579 €520

133.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,174 €1,055

121.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$960 €863

114.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$4,532 €4,071

52.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,073 €1,862

147.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.51

-6.55%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Imatra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Imatra

$579 33.5% 57.3% $776

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Imatra

$377 21.8% 17.1% $55

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Imatra

$244 14.1% 8.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Imatra

$178 10.3% 21.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Imatra

$181 10.5% 14.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Imatra

$81 4.7% 10.4% $7.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Imatra

$88 5.1% 82% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $866 in Imatra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $55 in Imatra. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $377, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇮 Imatra

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

24,919

💱 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 Imatra 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Imatra

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 Imatra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,729 in Imatra, so Imatra is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,594 in Imatra 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $866 in Imatra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $333 in Imatra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Imatra 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 Imatra are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.