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: $2,476 in Barcelona versus $1,231 in Maebashi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,545 in Barcelona versus $1,977 in Maebashi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,613 in Barcelona versus $2,724 in Maebashi.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 101% more expensive than in Maebashi, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Maebashi is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.74 €16.32

$4.62 ¥722

305.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 €60.5

$32.93 ¥5,142

110.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.77 €11.99

$5.09 ¥795

170.53%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.70

$2.54 ¥396

22.05%

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

$2.83 €2.47

$0.80 ¥124

253.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.64

$0.62 ¥97.3

203.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 €3.47

$2.32 ¥363

71.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.95

$3.21 ¥501

41.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.11

$1.25 ¥196

1.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.88

$1.58 ¥248

36.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.53

$1.34 ¥209

31.34%

Eggs

$5.13 €4.47

$1.74 ¥271

194.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.88 €15.58

$15.98 ¥2,495

11.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 €8.41

$4.73 ¥739

104.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.15 €17.55

$17.92 ¥2,799

12.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 €2.83

$8.39 ¥1,310

-61.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.94

$3.09 ¥483

-27.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.27

$5.17 ¥807

-49.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.40

$8.13 ¥1,269

-66.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.93

$4.12 ¥643

-46.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 €1.85

$4.81 ¥751

-55.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.35

$1.20 ¥188

29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.83

$0.47 ¥73.7

102.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.34 €6.40

$4.00 ¥625

83.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 €7.01

$9.45 ¥1,476

-14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.35

$2.57 ¥401

-40.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.43

$2.15 ¥336

29.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.11 €2.71

$1.52 ¥238

104.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.86 €22.53

$57.5 ¥8,982

-55.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 €2.85

$3.26 ¥510

0.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.29

$2.88 ¥449

-48.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.27 €29.86

$32.52 ¥5,079

5.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.51

$1.08 ¥168

60.19%

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

$36.4K €31.7K

$22.6K ¥3.5M

61.08%

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

$30.5K €26.6K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

92.77%

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

$187 €163

$121 ¥18.9K

54.52%

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

$15.14 €13.19

$24.14 ¥3,770

-37.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.69 €32.83

$32.52 ¥5,078

15.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 €48.73

$52.9 ¥8,267

5.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.08 €14.88

$32.80 ¥5,123

-47.93%

Cinema Ticket

$11.41 €9.94

$11.57 ¥1,807

-1.38%

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

$997 €868

$594 ¥92.7K

67.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.4K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

11.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.6 €80.7

$51.6 ¥8,060

79.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.22 €35.91

$36.55 ¥5,708

12.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €96.9

$63.1 ¥9,850

76.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €109

$99.1 ¥15.5K

26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,487

$518 ¥81.0K

229.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,286 €1,120

$333 ¥51.9K

286.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 €2,235

$1,041 ¥162.6K

146.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,942 €1,692

$745 ¥116.4K

160.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,647 €6,662

$3,352 ¥523.5K

128.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,167 €4,501

$1,861 ¥290.7K

177.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,348 €2,046

$1,757 ¥274.3K

33.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

1.66

90.36%

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

Last update for Barcelona: September 13, 2026

Last update for Maebashi: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,707 in Barcelona and $518 in Maebashi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 34% 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: $69.0 in Barcelona vs $33.00 in Maebashi. Groceries flip the comparison at $336 vs $356, 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 101% in total monthly costs ($2,476 vs $1,231 including rent). Maebashi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% 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: $1,707 in Barcelona versus $518 in Maebashi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $997 in Barcelona versus $594 in Maebashi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,231 in Maebashi versus $2,476 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 101% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.