Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lipari

For one person, living is cheaper in Lipari: $1,717 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Lipari
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Lipari Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Lipari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Lipari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,717 in Lipari.

Barcelona $2,443
Lipari $1,717

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,668 in Lipari.

Barcelona $3,519
Lipari $2,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,618 in Lipari.

Barcelona $4,595
Lipari $3,618

Living in Barcelona is roughly 42% more expensive than in Lipari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Lipari 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$18.07 €16.10

-2.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$73.7 €65.6

-8.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$9.89 €8.81

37.61%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$2.55 €2.27

21.57%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$3.11 €2.77

-3.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.41 €1.26

36.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$5.55 €4.94

-30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$4.88 €4.35

-10.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.58 €1.41

-20.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.18 €1.94

-2.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.92 €2.60

-32.53%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$4.32 €3.85

10.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$16.68 €14.86

2.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$11.71 €10.43

-23.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$22.27 €19.84

-7.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.57 €2.29

22.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.12 €1.89

-7.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.66 €2.37

-0.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$3.03 €2.70

-4.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.10 €1.87

-1.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.78 €1.59

22.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.36 €1.21

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.58 €0.52

67.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$7.25 €6.46

-3.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

$7.07 €6.29

11.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.72 €1.53

-17.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.51 €2.23

7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.01 €1.79

64.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

$38.39 €34.19

-33.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$4.65 €4.14

-33.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.62 €1.44

-8.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$31.31 €27.89

4.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.78 €2.48

-32.73%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$37.2K €33.1K

-11.35%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$34.2K €30.4K

-6.54%

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

$183 €163

$206 €183

-11.10%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$10.34 €9.21

37.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$27.32 €24.34

26.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$55.5 €49.47

-7.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

$25.18 €22.43

-34.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$9.88 €8.80

11.94%

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

$944 €841

$508 €453

85.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$11.5K €10.2K

93.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$102 €90.9

-14.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$34.07 €30.35

13.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$84.9 €75.6

23.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$139 €124

-15.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$731 €652

131.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$574 €511

132.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$1,179 €1,050

128.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$994 €886

108.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

$3,358 €2,991

113.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$2,156 €1,920

135.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.31

-3.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lipari: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Lipari

$574 33.4% 57.1% $763

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Lipari

$343 20% 4.8% $16

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Lipari

$260 15.2% 2.4% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Lipari

$243 14.2% 5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Lipari

$162 9.4% 3.3% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Lipari

$75 4.4% 2.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Lipari

$59 3.5% 19.9% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $731 in Lipari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $74 in Lipari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $343 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Lipari

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

12,675

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Lipari 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Lipari

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 Lipari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,717 in Lipari, so Lipari is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $2,576 in Lipari 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $731 in Lipari. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $508 in Lipari. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lipari gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Lipari are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.