Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Marsascala

For one person, living is cheaper in Marsascala: $1,740 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Marsascala
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Marsascala Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Marsascala

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Marsascala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,740 in Marsascala.

Barcelona $2,453
Marsascala $1,740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,641 in Marsascala.

Barcelona $3,509
Marsascala $2,641

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,542 in Marsascala.

Barcelona $4,564
Marsascala $3,542

Living in Barcelona is roughly 41% more expensive than in Marsascala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Marsascala 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$19.93 €17.85

-11.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$85.0 €76.1

-20.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.58 €12.17

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.20 €1.97

45.00%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.45 €2.19

18.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.38 €1.23

36.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.94 €3.53

1.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.43 €3.07

32.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.22 €1.09

7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.86 €0.77

134.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.38 €3.03

-45.27%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.18 €3.75

15.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$5.71 €5.11

193.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$6.22 €5.57

46.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$13.87 €12.42

41.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.44 €3.08

-13.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.49 €2.23

-18.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.22 €1.98

21.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.86 €2.57

-2.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.26 €2.02

-7.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.85 €1.66

11.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.29 €2.05

-36.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.85 €0.76

10.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.60 €5.91

4.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$6.88 €6.16

14.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.68 €1.51

-16.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.39 €2.14

6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.20 €1.97

42.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.10 €4.57

-41.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.20 €1.97

-32.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$13.22 €11.84

152.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.51 €1.35

19.21%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$31.3K €28.0K

6.17%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$36.0K €32.2K

-11.91%

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

$180 €162

$101 €90.5

78.57%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$20.54 €18.39

-32.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$27.61 €24.73

22.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$54.8 €49.07

-5.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$21.95 €19.66

-27.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.24 €9.17

7.32%

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

$917 €821

$225 €202

307.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$4,512 €4,041

265.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$88.1 €78.9

-1.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$29.49 €26.41

30.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$88.1 €78.9

20.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$79.9 €71.6

49.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,022 €916

66.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$841 €753

61.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,566 €1,402

66.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,294 €1,159

59.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,942 €2,635

135.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,315 €2,074

121.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,101 €1,881

5.24%

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 Marsascala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Marsascala

$841 48.3% 37.9% $514

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Marsascala

$253 14.5% 21.4% $69

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Marsascala

$268 15.4% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Marsascala

$149 8.6% 34.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Marsascala

$128 7.4% 18.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Marsascala

$75 4.3% 2.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Marsascala

$25 * 1.4% 48.6% $24

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 $1,022 in Marsascala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 5% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $85 in Marsascala. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $253, with Marsascala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Marsascala

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

12,134

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Marsascala 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Marsascala

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 Marsascala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,740 in Marsascala, so Marsascala is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,022 in Marsascala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $225 in Marsascala. 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 $67 versus $85 in Marsascala. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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