Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kamakura

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamakura: $1,165 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Kamakura
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Kamakura Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Kamakura

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kamakura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,165 in Kamakura.

Barcelona $2,453
Kamakura $1,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,822 in Kamakura.

Barcelona $3,509
Kamakura $1,822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,478 in Kamakura.

Barcelona $4,564
Kamakura $2,478

Living in Barcelona is roughly 110% more expensive than in Kamakura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Kamakura is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$6.44 ¥1,017

173.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$31.61 ¥4,992

113.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$4.98 ¥787

171.69%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.59 ¥409

23.17%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.11 ¥176

162.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.74 ¥116

155.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$2.56 ¥404

56.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$3.21 ¥507

41.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.44 ¥228

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.50 ¥238

34.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$3.70 ¥585

-50.00%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$2.02 ¥319

139.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$10.49 ¥1,657

59.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$5.92 ¥934

54.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$14.54 ¥2,296

35.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$5.67 ¥896

-47.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.71 ¥429

-25.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.82 ¥445

-4.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.16 ¥657

-32.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.63 ¥415

-20.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.57 ¥406

-19.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.13 ¥179

29.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.82 ¥129

14.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$3.74 ¥590

83.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$6.52 ¥1,029

21.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.83 ¥290

-22.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.09 ¥331

21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$1.50 ¥237

109.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$53.1 ¥8,392

-52.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.15 ¥497

-5.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.63 ¥415

-43.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$15.63 ¥2,469

113.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.11 ¥176

62.16%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

51.82%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

110.96%

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

$180 €161

$115 ¥18.2K

56.21%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$23.20 ¥3,663

-40.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$31.50 ¥4,974

6.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$51.6 ¥8,154

-0.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$12.92 ¥2,040

-14.94%

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

$917 €818

$695 ¥109.8K

31.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

12.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$51.2 ¥8,080

70.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$35.94 ¥5,676

7.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$60.3 ¥9,517

75.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$97.3 ¥15.4K

23.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$559 ¥88.3K

203.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$321 ¥50.6K

322.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,094 ¥172.8K

137.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$650 ¥102.6K

217.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,071 ¥642.9K

69.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,427 ¥383.2K

111.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,810 ¥285.8K

22.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.02

62.38%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kamakura: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Kamakura

$321 27.5% 76.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Kamakura

$288 24.7% 10.7% $34

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Kamakura

$124 10.7% 53.7% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Kamakura

$170 14.6% 25.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Kamakura

$110 9.5% 30.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Kamakura

$77 6.7% 5.4% $4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Kamakura

$75 6.5% 55.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $559 in Kamakura. 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 $32 in Kamakura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $288 per month, with Kamakura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Kamakura

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

22:07 10:07 PM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

172,710

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Kamakura 10,440 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Kamakura

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 Kamakura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,165 in Kamakura, so Kamakura is about 52% 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 $559 in Kamakura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $695 in Kamakura. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,165 in Kamakura versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kamakura but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kamakura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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