Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Imola

For one person, living is cheaper in Imola: $1,743 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Imola
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Imola Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Imola

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Imola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,743 in Imola.

Barcelona $2,453
Imola $1,743

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,669 in Imola.

Barcelona $3,509
Imola $2,669

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,596 in Imola.

Barcelona $4,564
Imola $3,596

Living in Barcelona is roughly 41% more expensive than in Imola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Imola 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$23.15 €20.75

-24.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$67.8 €60.8

-0.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.07 €9.92

22.22%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.53 €1.37

108.50%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.97 €1.77

47.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.04 €0.93

81.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.59 €4.11

-12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.34 €3.00

35.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.38 €1.23

-5.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.12 €1.90

-4.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.71 €1.53

8.19%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.43 €3.08

40.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$26.42 €23.67

-36.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.67 €8.67

-5.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$21.16 €18.96

-7.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.88 €2.58

3.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.21 €1.98

-8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.35 €3.01

-19.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.22 €2.89

-13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.64 €1.47

27.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.11 €0.99

86.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.40 €0.36

265.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.28 €0.25

235.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.28 €6.52

-5.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.72 €5.13

37.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.65 €1.48

-14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.97 €1.77

28.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.48 €1.32

112.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$31.53 €28.25

-19.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.80 €3.40

-21.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.20 €1.08

24.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$27.85 €24.96

19.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.93 €1.73

-6.74%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.0K €29.6K

0.63%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$36.2K €32.4K

-12.34%

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

$180 €162

$240 €215

-24.91%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$11.05 €9.90

25.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$33.30 €29.84

1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$78.5 €70.3

-34.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$8.60 €7.70

85.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.58 €9.48

3.88%

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

$917 €821

$662 €593

38.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$9,999 €8,960

64.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$96.5 €86.5

-9.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$27.50 €24.64

40.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$95.1 €85.3

11.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$94.8 €85.0

26.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$665 €596

155.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$552 €495

145.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,315 €1,179

97.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$952 €853

116.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,856 €2,560

142.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,022 €1,812

153.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,115 €1,895

4.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.16

3.80%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Imola: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Imola

$552 31.7% 59.3% $803

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Imola

$339 19.5% 5.5% $18

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Imola

$279 16% 4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Imola

$285 16.3% 24.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Imola

$141 8.1% 10.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Imola

$100 5.7% 35.5% $26

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Imola

$47 2.7% 2.6% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $665 in Imola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 5% 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 $68 in Imola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $339 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Imola

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

69,797

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Imola 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Imola

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 Imola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,743 in Imola, so Imola is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% 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 $665 in Imola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $662 in Imola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 19% less than in Imola. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

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