Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Macerata

For one person, living is cheaper in Macerata: $1,450 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Macerata
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Macerata Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Macerata

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Macerata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,450 in Macerata.

Barcelona $2,453
Macerata $1,450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,273 in Macerata.

Barcelona $3,509
Macerata $2,273

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,096 in Macerata.

Barcelona $4,564
Macerata $3,096

Living in Barcelona is roughly 69% more expensive than in Macerata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Macerata 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$17.35 €15.54

1.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$76.9 €68.9

-12.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.67 €9.56

26.80%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.65 €1.48

93.33%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.74 €2.46

6.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.20 €1.07

57.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.99 €4.47

-19.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.82 €4.32

-6.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.66 €1.49

-21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.41 €2.16

-16.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.16 €2.83

-41.46%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.39 €3.94

10.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$18.71 €16.77

-10.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.26 €10.98

-25.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$20.09 €18.00

-2.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.26 €2.02

31.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.64 €1.47

23.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.28 €2.05

18.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.21 €1.98

26.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.31 €2.07

-9.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.19 €1.96

-5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.59 €0.53

147.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.39 €0.35

141.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.51 €6.73

-8.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.72 €5.13

37.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.07 €1.86

-31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.52 €1.36

67.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.54 €1.38

103.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$33.39 €29.92

-23.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$11.25 €10.09

-73.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.69 €1.52

-11.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$19.66 €17.62

69.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.05 €1.83

-12.20%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.0K €29.6K

0.50%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$56.6K €50.7K

-43.97%

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

$180 €162

$228 €204

-20.94%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$8.33 €7.46

66.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$30.33 €27.18

11.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$53.3 €47.76

-3.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$28.35 €25.40

-43.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.60 €8.60

14.48%

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

$917 €821

$205 €184

346.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,895 €7,075

108.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$79.5 €71.3

9.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$26.24 €23.51

46.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$69.0 €61.9

53.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$68.0 €61.0

75.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$478 €428

255.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$369 €330

267.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$797 €714

226.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$618 €554

233.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,143 €1,921

222.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,590 €1,425

222.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,917 €1,718

15.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

9.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Macerata: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Macerata

$369 25.4% 72.8% $987

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Macerata

$333 23% 3.5% $11

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Macerata

$241 16.6% 10.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Macerata

$267 18.4% 17.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Macerata

$109 7.5% 30.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Macerata

$72 5% 1.4% $1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Macerata

$59 4.1% 22.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $478 in Macerata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 15% 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 $77 in Macerata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $333 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Macerata

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

42,473

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Macerata 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Macerata

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 Macerata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,450 in Macerata, so Macerata is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% 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 $478 in Macerata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $205 in Macerata. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Macerata is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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