Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kitakyushu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kitakyushu: $1,250 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
Learn more

Kitakyushu Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kitakyushu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,250 in Kitakyushu.

Barcelona $2,453
Kitakyushu $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,923 in Kitakyushu.

Barcelona $3,509
Kitakyushu $1,923

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,596 in Kitakyushu.

Barcelona $4,564
Kitakyushu $2,596

Living in Barcelona is roughly 96% more expensive than in Kitakyushu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Kitakyushu is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$7.03 ¥1,110

150.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$32.97 ¥5,206

104.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$5.43 ¥857

149.17%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$3.40 ¥537

-6.18%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.06 ¥167

174.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.70 ¥111

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$3.04 ¥479

31.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$2.18 ¥344

107.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.42 ¥225

-7.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.28 ¥202

57.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$5.29 ¥835

-65.03%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$2.20 ¥348

119.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$9.42 ¥1,487

77.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$5.25 ¥830

73.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$18.86 ¥2,978

4.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.59 ¥567

-16.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.88 ¥297

7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.79 ¥441

-3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.87 ¥454

-2.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.23 ¥352

-6.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.64 ¥418

-21.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.05 ¥165

39.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.99 ¥156

-5.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$4.05 ¥640

69.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$6.23 ¥984

26.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.64 ¥259

-14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.72 ¥271

47.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$1.62 ¥256

93.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$56.8 ¥8,964

-55.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.98 ¥628

-24.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.04 ¥323

-26.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$17.83 ¥2,815

87.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.05 ¥165

71.43%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$20.3K ¥3.2M

63.79%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

106.05%

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

$180 €161

$196 ¥31.0K

-8.18%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$25.10 ¥3,965

-44.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$32.21 ¥5,087

4.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$52.1 ¥8,233

-1.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$3.22 ¥509

395.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$12.65 ¥1,998

-13.12%

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

$917 €818

$379 ¥59.8K

142.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

33.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$48.55 ¥7,668

79.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$26.37 ¥4,164

46.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$67.0 ¥10.6K

57.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$55.7 ¥8,798

114.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$555 ¥87.7K

206.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$338 ¥53.3K

301.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,005 ¥158.7K

158.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$715 ¥113.0K

188.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,304 ¥679.8K

60.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,319 ¥366.2K

121.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,533 ¥242.2K

44.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

1.69

94.08%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Kitakyushu

$338 27% 75.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Kitakyushu

$275 22% 14.6% $47

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Kitakyushu

$140 11.2% 47.8% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Kitakyushu

$254 20.3% 11.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Kitakyushu

$89 7.1% 43.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2% 5.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2% 59.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $555 in Kitakyushu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 44% 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 $33 in Kitakyushu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $275 per month, with Kitakyushu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

939,029

💱 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 Kitakyushu 10,140 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Kitakyushu

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 Kitakyushu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,250 in Kitakyushu, so Kitakyushu is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% 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 $555 in Kitakyushu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $379 in Kitakyushu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Kitakyushu versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kitakyushu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kitakyushu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kitakyushu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Kitakyushu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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