Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Marsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,871 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marsa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
Learn more

Marsa Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Marsa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,871 in Marsa.

Barcelona $2,453
Marsa $2,871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,976 in Marsa.

Barcelona $3,509
Marsa $3,976

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,081 in Marsa.

Barcelona $4,564
Marsa $5,081

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 15% less than in Marsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Marsa 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$19.41 €17.31

-9.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$85.2 €76.0

-20.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$13.67 €12.19

-1.02%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.69 €2.40

18.59%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.28 €2.04

27.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.27 €2.02

-16.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$4.58 €4.08

-12.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$2.53 €2.25

79.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.36 €1.21

-3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.29 €1.15

56.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$4.22 €3.76

-56.16%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.33 €3.87

11.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$8.43 €7.52

98.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$10.25 €9.14

-11.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$18.47 €16.48

6.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$4.27 €3.81

-30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.69 €2.40

-24.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$3.55 €3.17

-23.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.27 €2.92

-14.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.25 €2.01

-7.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.87 €1.67

10.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.27 €2.02

-35.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.31 €1.17

-28.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$6.85 €6.11

0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$8.36 €7.46

-5.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.63 €1.46

-13.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.33 €2.08

9.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$5.75 €5.13

-48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.29 €2.04

-34.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$26.56 €23.69

25.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.47 €1.31

22.45%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$37.4K €33.3K

-11.20%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$38.4K €34.2K

-17.35%

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

$180 €161

$103 €92.2

74.51%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$24.97 €22.28

-44.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$42.87 €38.25

-21.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$10.19 €9.09

7.85%

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

$917 €818

$372 €332

146.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$11.2K €9,953

47.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$86.1 €76.8

1.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$39.89 €35.59

-3.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$101 €90.4

4.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$77.4 €69.1

54.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$2,481 €2,213

-31.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$1,925 €1,718

-29.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$2,271 €2,026

14.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$2,758 €2,460

-25.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$3,229 €2,881

-31.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.9

13.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Marsa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Marsa

$1.9K 67.1% 42.1% $570

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Marsa

$326 11.3% 1.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Marsa

$275 9.6% 2.5% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Marsa

$171 6% 24.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Marsa

$137 4.8% 13.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Marsa

$20 * 0.7% 72.3% $53

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Marsa

$17 * 0.6% 64.6% $31

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $2,481 in Marsa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marsa pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $85 in Marsa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $326 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Marsa

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

5,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Marsa 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Marsa

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 Marsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,871 in Marsa, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $2,481 in Marsa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $372 in Marsa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $2,871 in Marsa – Barcelona is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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