Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kefalonia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kefalonia: $1,551 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Kefalonia
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Kefalonia Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Kefalonia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kefalonia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,551 in Kefalonia.

Barcelona $2,381
Kefalonia $1,551

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,322 in Kefalonia.

Barcelona $3,406
Kefalonia $2,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,092 in Kefalonia.

Barcelona $4,431
Kefalonia $3,092

Living in Barcelona is roughly 54% more expensive than in Kefalonia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Kefalonia 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.80 €13.16

20.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$38.73 €34.45

70.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.23 €9.10

33.82%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.14 €2.79

-2.55%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.44 €3.06

-10.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.61 €0.54

218.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.68 €4.16

-17.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.38 €4.79

-14.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.55 €1.38

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.39 €1.24

51.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.58 €2.30

-29.07%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.69 €4.17

-1.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$13.39 €11.91

29.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.56 €8.51

-2.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.16 €12.59

40.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.18 €1.94

38.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.09 €1.86

-2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.38 €1.22

92.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.01 €1.79

42.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.12 €0.99

92.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.12 €1.00

91.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.09 €0.97

34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.87 €0.78

1.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.26 €4.68

31.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.71 €5.97

16.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.58 €2.30

-46.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.53 €2.25

3.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.37 €1.22

112.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$45.22 €40.23

-43.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.20 €3.73

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.11 €0.99

29.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$16.11 €14.33

106.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.99 €1.77

-6.53%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$27.6K €24.6K

17.10%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.0K €22.2K

26.77%

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

$183 €163

$277 €246

-33.97%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$23.48 €20.89

-42.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$30.05 €26.73

9.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$50.7 €45.08

7.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$24.90 €22.15

-33.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.15 €8.14

22.73%

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

$954 €849

$427 €380

123.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,666 €6,819

116.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$88.7 €78.9

-3.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$40.31 €35.85

-2.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$93.9 €83.5

10.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$120 €107

-0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$527 €469

221.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$420 €374

203.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,093 €972

135.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$786 €699

144.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,638 €2,347

176.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,187 €1,946

129.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,095 €974

103.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.46

-26.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kefalonia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Kefalonia

$420 27.1% 67.1% $856

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Kefalonia

$280 18.1% 13.9% $45

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Kefalonia

$237 15.3% 12.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Kefalonia

$330 21.3% 44.1% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Kefalonia

$154 9.9% 1.4% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Kefalonia

$69 4.5% 10.6% $8.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Kefalonia

$60 3.9% 27.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $527 in Kefalonia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 103% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $39.00 in Kefalonia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $280 per month, with Kefalonia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇷 Kefalonia

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

36,404

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Kefalonia 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Kefalonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Kefalonia differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,551 including rent). Kefalonia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 103% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $527 in Kefalonia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $427 in Kefalonia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,551 in Kefalonia versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kefalonia but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kefalonia 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 Kefalonia 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 Kefalonia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.