Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,075 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
Learn more

Kawagoe Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kawagoe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,075 in Kawagoe.

Barcelona $2,453
Kawagoe $1,075

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,744 in Kawagoe.

Barcelona $3,509
Kawagoe $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,413 in Kawagoe.

Barcelona $4,564
Kawagoe $2,413

Living in Barcelona is roughly 128% more expensive than in Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Kawagoe is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$6.33 ¥1,000

177.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$41.23 ¥6,507

63.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$4.95 ¥782

173.33%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.50 ¥552

-8.86%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$0.92 ¥145

216.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.52 ¥82.6

263.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.91 ¥301

109.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.74 ¥432

65.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.15 ¥182

13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.28 ¥202

57.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.67 ¥579

-49.59%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.08 ¥328

132.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$6.34 ¥1,001

164.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$5.90 ¥932

54.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.16 ¥2,236

38.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$5.82 ¥918

-48.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.34 ¥369

-13.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.88 ¥455

-6.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.12 ¥492

-10.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.54 ¥401

-17.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.85 ¥292

11.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.27 ¥201

14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.76 ¥120

23.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$3.83 ¥604

79.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$4.65 ¥734

69.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.81 ¥286

-22.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.03 ¥320

25.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.97 ¥469

5.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$52.8 ¥8,338

-51.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.11 ¥491

-3.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.63 ¥415

-43.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$20.31 ¥3,205

64.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.06 ¥168

69.81%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$15.6K ¥2.5M

112.53%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

146.91%

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

$180 €162

$133 ¥21.0K

35.71%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$22.18 ¥3,500

-37.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$31.10 ¥4,909

8.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$43.19 ¥6,817

19.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$30.97 ¥4,888

-48.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.95 ¥1,729

0.37%

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

$917 €821

$320 ¥50.6K

186.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$6,292 ¥993.1K

161.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$31.66 ¥4,997

174.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$33.72 ¥5,323

14.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$43.55 ¥6,874

142.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$93.2 ¥14.7K

28.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$407 ¥64.2K

317.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$267 ¥42.1K

408.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$862 ¥136.1K

201.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$605 ¥95.5K

240.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,474 ¥390.5K

179.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,772 ¥279.6K

189.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,597 ¥252.0K

38.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

1.6

105.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Kawagoe

$267 24.8% 80.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Kawagoe

$257 23.9% 20.3% $65

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Kawagoe

$128 11.9% 52.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Kawagoe

$186 17.3% 18.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Kawagoe

$91 8.5% 42.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Kawagoe

$65 6.1% 11.4% $8.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Kawagoe

$81 7.5% 67% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $407 in Kawagoe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 38% 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 $41 in Kawagoe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $257 per month, with Kawagoe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

16:32 4:32 PM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

350,745

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Kawagoe 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Kawagoe

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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,075 in Kawagoe, so Kawagoe is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% 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 $407 in Kawagoe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $320 in Kawagoe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,075 in Kawagoe versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kawagoe but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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