Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and L'Aquila

For one person, living is cheaper in L’Aquila: $1,535 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
74

Cost of Living Index in L'Aquila
Learn more

L'Aquila Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

L'Aquila

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,535

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in L'Aquila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,535 in L’Aquila.

Barcelona $2,453
L'Aquila $1,535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,372 in L’Aquila.

Barcelona $3,509
L'Aquila $2,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,208 in L’Aquila.

Barcelona $4,564
L'Aquila $3,208

Living in Barcelona is roughly 60% more expensive than in L’Aquila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, L’Aquila 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$16.44 €14.73

7.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$66.3 €59.4

1.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.08 €9.93

22.11%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.78 €1.59

79.21%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.45 €2.20

18.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.11 €0.99

70.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.69 €5.10

-29.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.42 €3.96

2.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.01 €1.80

-34.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.88 €1.69

7.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.28 €2.04

-18.86%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.25 €3.81

13.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$16.08 €14.41

4.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.38 €11.09

-26.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$20.31 €18.20

-3.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.61 €2.34

14.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.16 €1.94

-6.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.31 €2.07

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.77 €3.38

-25.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.80 €1.61

16.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.84 €1.65

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.47 €1.32

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.58 €0.52

62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.54 €5.86

5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.40 €5.74

23.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.85 €1.66

-23.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.12 €2.80

-18.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.73 €1.55

81.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$38.64 €34.62

-34.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.55 €4.08

-34.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.21 €1.08

23.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$23.88 €21.40

39.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.93 €1.73

-6.74%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.3K €30.7K

-3.23%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$36.1K €32.3K

-12.09%

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

$180 €162

$192 €172

-6.19%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$9.39 €8.41

47.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$30.99 €27.77

8.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$56.1 €50.3

-8.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$27.58 €24.72

-42.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.65 €7.75

27.05%

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

$917 €821

$134 €120

583.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,987 €7,157

106.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$93.5 €83.8

-6.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$41.99 €37.62

-8.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$105 €93.9

0.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$136 €122

-12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$552 €495

207.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$426 €381

218.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$824 €738

215.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$679 €609

203.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,760 €2,473

150.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,702 €1,526

201.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,904 €1,706

16.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.08

6.49%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for L'Aquila: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

L'Aquila

$426 27.7% 68.6% $930

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

L'Aquila

$340 22.2% 5.8% $19

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

L'Aquila

$238 15.5% 11.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

L'Aquila

$233 15.2% 2.1% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

L'Aquila

$169 11% 7.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

L'Aquila

$73 4.8% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

L'Aquila

$56 3.7% 15.8% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $552 in L’Aquila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 16% 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 $66 in L’Aquila. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $340, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 L'Aquila

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

69,753

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona L'Aquila 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
L'Aquila

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 L'Aquila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,535 in L’Aquila, so L’Aquila is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $552 in L’Aquila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $134 in L’Aquila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 34% less than in L’Aquila. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,535 in L’Aquila versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in L’Aquila but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes L’Aquila 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 L’Aquila are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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