Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and La Rochelle

For one person, living is cheaper in La Rochelle: $1,831 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in La Rochelle
Learn more

La Rochelle Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

La Rochelle

🇫🇷 France

$1,831

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in La Rochelle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,831 in La Rochelle.

Barcelona $2,453
La Rochelle $1,831

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,816 in La Rochelle.

Barcelona $3,509
La Rochelle $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,800 in La Rochelle.

Barcelona $4,564
La Rochelle $3,800

Living in Barcelona is roughly 34% more expensive than in La Rochelle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, La Rochelle 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.45 €20.12

-21.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$66.3 €59.4

1.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.90 €12.45

-2.66%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.68 €3.30

-13.32%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.74 €2.45

6.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.33 €1.19

42.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.36 €6.59

-45.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.65 €4.16

-2.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.45 €1.30

-9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.86 €1.67

8.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.89 €1.69

-2.12%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.04 €3.62

19.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$19.56 €17.53

-14.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.84 €10.61

-22.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$17.46 €15.65

12.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.90 €2.60

2.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.33 €2.09

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.87 €2.57

-5.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.72 €3.33

-24.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.89 €1.69

10.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.99 €1.79

4.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.64 €1.47

-10.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.38 €0.34

147.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$14.46 €12.96

-52.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.84 €7.92

-10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.37 €2.13

-40.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.47 €2.22

2.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.63 €1.46

92.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$39.35 €35.26

-35.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$9.17 €8.22

-67.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.50 €2.24

-40.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$30.71 €27.52

8.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.14 €1.92

-15.89%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$36.0K €32.3K

-7.89%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$31.2K €27.9K

1.68%

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

$180 €162

$135 €121

33.94%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$13.17 €11.80

5.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$32.85 €29.44

2.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$35.16 €31.51

46.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.12 €8.18

20.50%

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

$917 €821

$576 €516

59.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.9K €9,779

51.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$86.9 €77.9

0.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$39.23 €35.16

-1.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$110 €98.6

-3.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$150 €134

-19.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,060 €950

60.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$687 €616

97.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,581 €1,417

64.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,177 €1,055

75.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$6,592 €5,907

4.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$4,416 €3,957

16.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,374 €2,127

-6.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.79

-13.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for La Rochelle: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

La Rochelle

$687 37.5% 49.3% $668

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

La Rochelle

$341 18.6% 5.9% $19

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

La Rochelle

$328 17.9% 22.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

La Rochelle

$181 9.9% 20.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

La Rochelle

$174 9.5% 9.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

La Rochelle

$53 2.9% 27.3% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

La Rochelle

$68 3.7% 39.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,060 in La Rochelle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

La Rochelle pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $66 in La Rochelle. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $341, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 La Rochelle

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

78,535

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona La Rochelle 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
La Rochelle

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 La Rochelle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,831 in La Rochelle, so La Rochelle is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,060 in La Rochelle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $576 in La Rochelle. 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 35% less than in La Rochelle. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 La Rochelle are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.