Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Marsta

For one person, living is cheaper in Marsta: $1,657 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Marsta
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Marsta Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Marsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Marsta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,657 in Marsta.

Barcelona $2,453
Marsta $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,563 in Marsta.

Barcelona $3,509
Marsta $2,563

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,468 in Marsta.

Barcelona $4,564
Marsta $3,468

Living in Barcelona is roughly 48% more expensive than in Marsta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Marsta 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$13.29 SEK 130

32.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$64.3 SEK 632

4.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.28 SEK 101

31.61%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.31 SEK 42.30

-25.99%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.00 SEK 19.68

45.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.83 SEK 17.95

3.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.88 SEK 67.6

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.94 SEK 68.1

-34.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.72 SEK 16.85

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.15 SEK 30.93

-35.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$5.73 SEK 56.3

-67.71%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.67 SEK 36.06

31.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.27 SEK 130

26.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.05 SEK 88.8

0.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$16.91 SEK 166

16.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.93 SEK 28.80

1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.68 SEK 26.36

-24.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.08 SEK 20.39

29.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.67 SEK 36.01

-23.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.43 SEK 14.09

46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.48 SEK 14.54

39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.99 SEK 19.58

-26.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.91 SEK 18.78

-50.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.96 SEK 68.4

-1.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$10.01 SEK 98.3

-21.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.97 SEK 19.33

-28.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.15 SEK 21.14

18.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.39 SEK 33.33

-7.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$77.3 SEK 759

-67.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$13.37 SEK 131

-77.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.07 SEK 20.29

-28.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$56.9 SEK 558

-41.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.77 SEK 17.37

1.69%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.7K SEK 330.7K

-1.45%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.8K SEK 332.3K

-6.32%

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

$180 €162

$61.2 SEK 601

194.79%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$28.72 SEK 282

-51.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$40.48 SEK 397

-16.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$37.42 SEK 367

37.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$26.31 SEK 258

-39.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$16.10 SEK 158

-31.74%

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

$917 €821

$219 SEK 2,149

318.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$4,996 SEK 49.1K

229.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$50.5 SEK 496

72.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$29.77 SEK 292

29.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$91.2 SEK 895

16.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$103 SEK 1,009

16.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$811 SEK 7,959

109.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$615 SEK 6,039

120.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,380 SEK 13.6K

88.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,006 SEK 9,879

105.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,040 SEK 39.7K

71.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,789 SEK 27.4K

83.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,609 SEK 45.3K

-52.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.8

17.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Marsta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Marsta

$615 37.1% 54.6% $740

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Marsta

$352 21.2% 9.3% $30

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Marsta

$252 15.2% 5.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Marsta

$130 7.9% 42.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Marsta

$123 7.5% 21.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Marsta

$70 4.2% 5.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Marsta

$115 6.9% 136% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $811 in Marsta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marsta pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $64 in Marsta. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $352, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇪 Marsta

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

24,068

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Marsta 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Marsta

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 Marsta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,657 in Marsta, so Marsta is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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 $811 in Marsta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $219 in Marsta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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