Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Marsaxlokk

For one person, living is cheaper in Marsaxlokk: $2,023 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Marsaxlokk
Learn more

Marsaxlokk Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Marsaxlokk

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Marsaxlokk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,023 in Marsaxlokk.

Barcelona $2,453
Marsaxlokk $2,023

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,964 in Marsaxlokk.

Barcelona $3,509
Marsaxlokk $2,964

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,905 in Marsaxlokk.

Barcelona $4,564
Marsaxlokk $3,905

Living in Barcelona is roughly 21% more expensive than in Marsaxlokk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Marsaxlokk 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$19.75 €17.62

-10.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$87.0 €77.6

-22.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$13.39 €11.94

1.05%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.63 €2.35

21.29%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$3.01 €2.68

-3.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.25 €2.01

-16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$4.63 €4.13

-13.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$5.02 €4.48

-9.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.39 €1.24

-5.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.35 €1.21

49.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$4.36 €3.89

-57.57%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.33 €3.87

11.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$8.19 €7.31

104.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$10.32 €9.21

-11.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$17.95 €16.02

9.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$4.12 €3.68

-27.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.72 €2.43

-25.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$3.70 €3.30

-27.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.46 €3.09

-19.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.31 €2.06

-9.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.90 €1.70

8.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.39 €2.13

-38.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.33 €1.19

-29.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$6.70 €5.98

2.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$7.94 €7.08

-0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.62 €1.45

-12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.42 €2.16

4.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$2.55 €2.27

23.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$5.48 €4.89

-45.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.29 €2.04

-34.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$27.24 €24.31

22.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.46 €1.30

23.29%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$37.9K €33.8K

-12.50%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$39.0K €34.8K

-18.68%

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

$180 €161

$102 €91.2

76.58%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$25.33 €22.60

-45.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$43.14 €38.49

-21.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$55.5 €49.49

-7.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$9.99 €8.92

10.01%

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

$917 €818

$364 €324

152.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$11.1K €9,895

48.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$88.4 €78.8

-1.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$39.86 €35.56

-3.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$101 €90.4

4.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$77.0 €68.7

55.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,097 €979

54.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$1,001 €893

35.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,974 €1,761

31.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,417 €1,264

45.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,350 €3,881

58.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$3,312 €2,955

54.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

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 Marsaxlokk: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Marsaxlokk

$1K 49.5% 26.1% $354

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Marsaxlokk

$326 16.1% 1.4% $4.5

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Marsaxlokk

$284 14% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Marsaxlokk

$171 8.4% 25.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Marsaxlokk

$138 6.8% 12.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Marsaxlokk

$75 3.7% 2.7% $2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Marsaxlokk

$27 * 1.3% 44.1% $21

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 $1,097 in Marsaxlokk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $87 in Marsaxlokk 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

🇲🇹 Marsaxlokk

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

3,500

💱 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 Marsaxlokk 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Marsaxlokk

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 Marsaxlokk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,023 in Marsaxlokk, so Marsaxlokk is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $3,034 in Marsaxlokk to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,097 in Marsaxlokk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $364 in Marsaxlokk. 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 $2,023 in Marsaxlokk – Marsaxlokk is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Marsaxlokk 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 Marsaxlokk are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.