Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Koriyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,205 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Koriyama, Japan
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Koriyama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,205
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Koriyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,205 in Koriyama.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Koriyama $1,205

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,922 in Koriyama.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Koriyama $1,922

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,640 in Koriyama.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Koriyama $2,640

Living in Barcelona is roughly 104% more expensive than in Koriyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Koriyama is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Koriyama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.80
$5.75 ¥908
205.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.6
$33.79 ¥5,335
99.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.15
$5.50 ¥868
146.00%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.87
$3.06 ¥484
4.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.62
$1.18 ¥186
146.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$0.88 ¥138
114.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.60
$2.33 ¥367
72.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.07
$3.10 ¥489
46.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Koriyama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.29 ¥204
1.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.72 ¥272
17.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$4.36 ¥689
-57.57%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.34
$2.31 ¥365
109.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.03
$11.62 ¥1,835
44.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.19
$6.68 ¥1,055
36.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.64
$17.94 ¥2,832
9.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.68
$3.98 ¥629
-25.13%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$2.06 ¥325
-1.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.43
$2.87 ¥453
-5.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.52
$4.21 ¥665
-33.49%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$2.27 ¥358
-7.93%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.86
$2.82 ¥446
-26.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.45 ¥229
0.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.95 ¥150
-1.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.17
$4.24 ¥670
62.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.08
$6.05 ¥956
30.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.77 ¥280
-20.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.28
$2.28 ¥361
11.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Koriyama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$1.45 ¥230
116.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.86
$62.6 ¥9,879
-59.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.69
$3.07 ¥484
-2.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$3.21 ¥507
-53.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.98
$19.37 ¥3,059
72.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$0.94 ¥148
91.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.8K
$24.2K ¥3.8M
37.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.5K
$15.1K ¥2.4M
110.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Koriyama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$123 ¥19.4K
46.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.43
$23.55 ¥3,718
-41.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.27
$33.61 ¥5,306
0.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Koriyama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.27
$53.5 ¥8,447
-3.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.34
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.88
$10.98 ¥1,733
0.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Koriyama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €823
$687 ¥108.5K
33.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$13.2K ¥2.1M
24.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Koriyama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.2
$46.90 ¥7,405
85.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.59
$34.98 ¥5,523
10.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €95.1
$68.5 ¥10.8K
54.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €108
$89.9 ¥14.2K
33.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Koriyama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,527
$540 ¥85.3K
214.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,217
$329 ¥51.9K
311.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,338
$970 ¥153.1K
168.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,853
$748 ¥118.1K
175.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,211
$3,974 ¥627.4K
74.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,606
$2,190 ¥345.7K
134.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Koriyama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,986
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
2.21
48.42%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Koriyama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Koriyama
$329 75.7% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Koriyama
$299 7.1% $23
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Koriyama
$125 53.2% $143
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Koriyama
$180 20.9% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Koriyama
$108 31.6% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Koriyama
$75 2.7% $2
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Koriyama
$88 80.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $540 in Koriyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $34 in Koriyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $299 per month, with Koriyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇯🇵 Koriyama
🕒 Local time
00:17 12:17 AM
08:17 8:17 AM
8 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
327,692
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Koriyama 10,280 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Koriyama

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 Koriyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Koriyama?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,205 in Koriyama, so Koriyama is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Koriyama?
You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,807 in Koriyama to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Koriyama?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $540 in Koriyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Koriyama?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $687 in Koriyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,205 in Koriyama versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Koriyama?
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.
Is Barcelona or Koriyama safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Koriyama are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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