Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Manteca, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,729 in Manteca, CA, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Manteca, CA
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Manteca, CA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Manteca, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Manteca, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,729 in Manteca, CA.

Barcelona $2,381
Manteca, CA $2,729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,880 in Manteca, CA.

Barcelona $3,406
Manteca, CA $3,880

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $5,032 in Manteca, CA.

Barcelona $4,431
Manteca, CA $5,032

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 13% less than in Manteca, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Manteca, CA 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.58 $14.58

22.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$37.04 $37.04

78.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.84 $11.84

15.62%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.12 $5.12

-40.23%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.10 $3.10

-0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.36 $2.36

-17.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$8.91 $8.91

-56.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$9.24 $9.24

-50.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.40 $1.40

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.36 $4.36

-51.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.15 $4.15

-55.90%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$5.93 $5.93

-22.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$19.96 $19.96

-13.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$14.35 $14.35

-35.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$21.68 $21.68

-8.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$5.13 $5.13

-41.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.99 $1.99

2.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$5.58 $5.58

-52.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$5.54 $5.54

-48.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.58 $3.58

-39.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.00 $3.00

-28.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.41 $2.41

-39.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.47 $2.47

-64.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$11.83 $11.83

-41.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$15.38 $15.38

-49.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.52 $2.52

-44.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.37 $3.37

-21.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.20 $2.20

32.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.41 $3.41

-12.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.04 $3.04

-52.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$29.42 $29.42

12.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.58 $1.58

17.72%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$37.7K $37.7K

-14.14%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.1K $26.1K

21.49%

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

$183 €163

$270 $270

-32.39%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$46.99 $46.99

-71.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$83.4 $83.4

-60.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$40.77 $40.77

34.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$16.35 $16.35

-31.31%

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

$954 €849

$1,817 $1,817

-47.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$39.0K $39.0K

-57.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$59.6 $59.6

44.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$51.8 $51.8

-24.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$101 $101

2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$119 $119

-0.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,579 $1,579

7.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,292 $1,292

-1.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,460 $2,460

4.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$2,146 $2,146

-10.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,792 $2,792

160.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,416 $2,416

107.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$5,214 $5,214

-57.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.67

-50.82%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Manteca, CA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Manteca, CA

$1.3K 47.3% 1.2% $16

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Manteca, CA

$488 17.9% 50.2% $163

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Manteca, CA

$298 10.9% 10.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Manteca, CA

$401 14.7% 74.7% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Manteca, CA

$149 5.5% 4.6% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Manteca, CA

$73 2.7% 4.8% $3.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Manteca, CA

$27 * 1% 42.1% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,579 in Manteca, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manteca, CA pays 134% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $37.00 in Manteca, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $488, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Manteca, CA

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

03:19 3:19 AM

9 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

81,592

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Manteca, CA 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Manteca, CA

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 Manteca, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Manteca, CA differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,729 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 134% lower in Manteca, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,579 in Manteca, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,817 in Manteca, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $37.00 in Manteca, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona 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 Manteca, CA 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Manteca, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.