Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,283 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Kumamoto
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,283
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kumamoto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,283 in Kumamoto.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Kumamoto $1,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,977 in Kumamoto.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Kumamoto $1,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,670 in Kumamoto.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Kumamoto $2,670

Living in Barcelona is roughly 86% more expensive than in Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Kumamoto is 5% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Kumamoto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.92
$7.13 ¥1,126
150.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €58.9
$31.86 ¥5,034
107.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.18
$5.96 ¥942
129.70%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$3.22 ¥508
-4.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$1.05 ¥166
192.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$0.70 ¥111
177.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$3.74 ¥591
3.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.10
$2.26 ¥357
103.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Kumamoto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.36 ¥215
-4.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.90 ¥299
10.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.62
$6.64 ¥1,050
-72.44%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$1.86 ¥294
148.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.44
$17.81 ¥2,814
-2.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.25
$5.47 ¥865
69.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.64
$18.87 ¥2,981
5.09%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.68
$3.72 ¥587
-19.09%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$1.86 ¥294
9.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$2.78 ¥439
-4.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.55
$3.36 ¥530
-14.58%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$2.16 ¥342
-
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$2.61 ¥413
-17.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.04 ¥164
41.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.91 ¥143
-3.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.16
$3.94 ¥623
75.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.96
$5.61 ¥887
39.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.70 ¥268
-18.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.34
$1.83 ¥290
43.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Kumamoto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.59
$1.50 ¥236
94.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.64
$52.5 ¥8,291
-51.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.66
$3.84 ¥606
-21.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.00 ¥317
-28.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.53
$18.05 ¥2,852
83.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.06 ¥167
75.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$22.0K ¥3.5M
47.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.2K
$17.6K ¥2.8M
80.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Kumamoto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$210 ¥33.2K
-13.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.11
$24.28 ¥3,835
-43.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.29
$33.30 ¥5,261
-1.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Kumamoto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.65
$52.9 ¥8,359
3.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.70
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$10.95 ¥1,729
2.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Kumamoto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €849
$126 ¥20.0K
654.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$12.4K ¥2.0M
34.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Kumamoto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.5
$48.56 ¥7,672
77.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.78
$25.99 ¥4,106
50.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.2
$65.3 ¥10.3K
58.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$47.20 ¥7,457
151.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Kumamoto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,508
$541 ¥85.4K
213.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,135
$328 ¥51.9K
288.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,291
$1,119 ¥176.8K
130.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,710
$723 ¥114.2K
166.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,477
$4,158 ¥656.8K
75.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,456
$1,735 ¥274.1K
188.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Kumamoto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,981
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
1.97
66.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Kumamoto
$328 74.3% $948
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Kumamoto
$312 4.1% $13
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Kumamoto
$144 46.7% $126
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Kumamoto
$268 16.9% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Kumamoto
$84 46.2% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Kumamoto
$75 3.1% $2.4
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Kumamoto
$72 52.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $541 in Kumamoto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $32.00 in Kumamoto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $312 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇯🇵 Kumamoto
🕒 Local time
21:17 9:17 PM
04:17 4:17 AM
7 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
738,865
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Kumamoto 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Kumamoto

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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Kumamoto?
Barcelona and Kumamoto differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,283 including rent). Kumamoto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Kumamoto?
You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,924 in Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $541 in Kumamoto. 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 Kumamoto?
Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $126 in Kumamoto. 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 4% 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 $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Kumamoto?
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 Kumamoto safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Kumamoto are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Kumamoto?
Expats usually find Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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