Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Maebashi Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Maebashi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,300 in Maebashi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $2,030 in Maebashi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,760 in Maebashi.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 82% more expensive than Maebashi, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Maebashi is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$4.99 ¥798

252.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$35.13 ¥5,619

94.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$5.79 ¥926

142.83%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$2.98 ¥477

-6.71%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$0.80 ¥128

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.68 ¥109

202.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$2.36 ¥377

88.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$3.20 ¥513

44.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.41 ¥225

-12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.74 ¥278

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$1.42 ¥227

35.21%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$1.78 ¥285

85.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$17.00 ¥2,719

8.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$5.11 ¥817

85.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$15.49 ¥2,477

23.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$8.97 ¥1,435

-70.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$2.76 ¥442

-11.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$4.79 ¥767

-55.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$9.77 ¥1,562

-70.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$4.00 ¥640

-49.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$2.58 ¥412

-28.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.33 ¥213

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.54 ¥86.3

55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$3.46 ¥553

106.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$9.61 ¥1,536

-18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$2.85 ¥456

-51.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.29 ¥366

0.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$1.65 ¥264

80.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$54.4 ¥8,708

-46.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$3.51 ¥561

31.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$2.98 ¥477

-30.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$34.41 ¥5,503

-15.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.17 ¥187

57.26%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$23.1K ¥3.7M

68.62%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$16.7K ¥2.7M

95.39%

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

$188 €162

$138 ¥22.1K

36.05%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$26.89 ¥4,301

-14.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$33.74 ¥5,397

8.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$55.2 ¥8,826

3.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$13.95 ¥2,231

48.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$12.25 ¥1,959

-8.65%

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

$721 €621

$474 ¥75.8K

52.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$11.1K ¥1.8M

35.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$46.31 ¥7,407

86.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$32.09 ¥5,133

15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$56.5 ¥9,041

80.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$92.7 ¥14.8K

25.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$462 ¥73.8K

232.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$327 ¥52.3K

273.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$861 ¥137.7K

213.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$652 ¥104.4K

208.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$4,596 ¥735.1K

57.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

$2,516 ¥402.4K

106.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$1,715 ¥274.2K

37.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

1.78

90.45%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Maebashi: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $462 in Maebashi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 38% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $35.00 in Maebashi. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $364, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

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 Maebashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Maebashi differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,300 including rent). Maebashi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 38% more on average, 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $462 in Maebashi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $474 in Maebashi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,300 in Maebashi versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maebashi but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Maebashi 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 Maebashi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Maebashi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.