Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Maebashi

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,696 in Maebashi, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maebashi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona, Spain
Maebashi, Japan
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Maebashi
🇯🇵 Japan
$2,696
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Maebashi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,696 in Maebashi.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Maebashi $2,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,569 in Maebashi.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Maebashi $2,569

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,441 in Maebashi.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Maebashi $2,441

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 9% less than in Maebashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Maebashi 99% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Maebashi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.72
$8.79 ¥1,384
100.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.1
$31.55 ¥4,969
113.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.12
$5.00 ¥788
172.20%
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.76
$2.50 ¥394
24.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.67
$1.24 ¥196
141.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$0.94 ¥148
105.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.42
$2.73 ¥430
40.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.88
$3.23 ¥508
34.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Maebashi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.24 ¥195
0.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.89
$1.48 ¥234
43.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.30 ¥205
51.54%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.24
$1.68 ¥265
183.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.20
$15.78 ¥2,485
8.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €7.97
$4.65 ¥733
92.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.39
$17.22 ¥2,712
19.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.81
$4.96 ¥781
-36.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$3.09 ¥487
-36.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$5.00 ¥788
-47.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.57
$8.04 ¥1,266
-64.18%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.83
$2.78 ¥438
-25.90%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$4.24 ¥668
-48.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.17 ¥185
30.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.86
$0.48 ¥76.2
102.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.20
$3.94 ¥621
76.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.02
$9.38 ¥1,477
-15.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$2.64 ¥416
-46.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.39
$2.11 ¥332
27.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Maebashi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.95
$2.56 ¥403
29.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.80
$17.79 ¥2,801
43.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.75
$3.11 ¥490
-0.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$2.68 ¥423
-44.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.27
$26.85 ¥4,229
22.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.10 ¥173
70.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.4K
$21.5K ¥3.4M
53.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.4K
$15.3K ¥2.4M
109.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Maebashi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$118 ¥18.6K
54.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.68
$23.75 ¥3,740
-40.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.78
$30.85 ¥4,858
12.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Maebashi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.79
$48.29 ¥7,606
6.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.59
$31.18 ¥4,911
-47.47%
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.85
$12.71 ¥2,002
-12.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Maebashi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €840
$710 ¥111.8K
32.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.8K
$22.4K ¥3.5M
-0.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Maebashi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €78.1
$69.6 ¥11.0K
26.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.52
$35.69 ¥5,621
8.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.1
$60.1 ¥9,462
74.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$98.5 ¥15.5K
19.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Maebashi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,511
$384 ¥60.5K
341.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,190
$1,814 ¥285.6K
-26.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,397
$566 ¥89.1K
376.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,849
$481 ¥75.8K
331.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,371
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,522
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Maebashi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €1,996
$1,704 ¥268.4K
31.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
2.02
57.92%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Maebashi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Maebashi
$1.8K 35.7% $477
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Maebashi
$328 0.2% $0.7
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Maebashi
$144 46% $123
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Maebashi
$173 25.3% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Maebashi
$119 24.3% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Maebashi
$74 0.2% $0.2
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Maebashi
$45 9.7% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $384 in Maebashi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 32% 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 $32 in Maebashi. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $328, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇯🇵 Maebashi
🕒 Local time
13:25 1:25 PM
21:25 9:25 PM
8 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
324,644
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Maebashi 10,320 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Maebashi

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 Maebashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Maebashi?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,696 in Maebashi, so Barcelona is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Barcelona or Maebashi?
Average pay runs 32% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Maebashi?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $384 in Maebashi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Maebashi?
Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $710 in Maebashi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Maebashi – a meal for two runs $32 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How far does $3,000 go in Barcelona compared to Maebashi?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Maebashi?
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.

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