Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kashiwa Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kashiwa

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,325 in Kashiwa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,836 in Kashiwa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,347 in Kashiwa.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 79% more expensive than Kashiwa, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Kashiwa is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$6.99 ¥1,118

151.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$27.94 ¥4,469

144.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$5.67 ¥907

147.97%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$3.09 ¥494

-10.03%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$0.84 ¥135

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.78 ¥124

164.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$2.14 ¥342

108.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$2.72 ¥435

69.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.23 ¥197

0.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.13 ¥181

79.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$5.06 ¥809

-62.06%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$2.03 ¥325

63.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$7.04 ¥1,126

161.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$6.39 ¥1,023

48.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$10.32 ¥1,651

85.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$4.97 ¥794

-46.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$2.83 ¥452

-13.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$4.03 ¥645

-47.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$6.10 ¥975

-53.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$2.75 ¥439

-25.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$2.23 ¥357

-17.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$0.70 ¥112

110.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.57 ¥90.4

47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$4.06 ¥650

75.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$9.38 ¥1,501

-15.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.84 ¥295

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.03 ¥325

13.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$1.56 ¥250

91.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$54.4 ¥8,699

-46.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$3.37 ¥539

36.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$2.38 ¥380

-13.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$22.04 ¥3,525

32.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.19 ¥191

54.62%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$23.1K ¥3.7M

68.87%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

80.06%

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

$188 €162

$143 ¥22.9K

31.21%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$27.74 ¥4,437

-17.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$33.75 ¥5,398

8.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$55.6 ¥8,893

3.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$14.14 ¥2,261

46.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$13.57 ¥2,171

-17.54%

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

$721 €621

$281 ¥45.0K

156.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$13.9K ¥2.2M

8.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$41.98 ¥6,715

105.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$28.95 ¥4,631

28.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$60.6 ¥9,684

68.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$111 ¥17.7K

4.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$636 ¥101.7K

141.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$436 ¥69.8K

179.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$838 ¥134.0K

221.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$525 ¥84.0K

283.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$4,667 ¥746.4K

54.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

$2,247 ¥359.4K

130.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$2,486 ¥397.6K

-5.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

2.05

65.37%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Kashiwa: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $636 in Kashiwa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kashiwa pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $28.00 in Kashiwa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $279 per month, with Kashiwa cheaper across the board.

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 Kashiwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Kashiwa differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,325 including rent). Kashiwa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Kashiwa earns 5% less. 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $636 in Kashiwa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $281 in Kashiwa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,325 in Kashiwa versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kashiwa but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kashiwa 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 Kashiwa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kashiwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.