Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Massa

For one person, living is cheaper in Massa: $1,587 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Massa
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Massa Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Massa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,587

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Massa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,587 in Massa.

Barcelona $2,453
Massa $1,587

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,538 in Massa.

Barcelona $3,509
Massa $2,538

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,490 in Massa.

Barcelona $4,564
Massa $3,490

Living in Barcelona is roughly 55% more expensive than in Massa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Massa 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$16.96 €15.19

3.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$72.7 €65.1

-7.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.34 €11.95

1.42%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.18 €1.95

46.33%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.30 €2.06

26.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.13 €1.01

67.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.37 €3.91

-8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.26 €5.60

-27.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.38 €1.24

-5.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.86 €2.56

-29.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.58 €2.31

-28.29%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.38 €3.92

10.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$18.63 €16.69

-10.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.97 €11.61

-29.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$17.50 €15.67

12.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.20 €1.97

35.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.70 €1.52

18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.96 €1.75

37.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.57 €2.31

8.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.35 €1.21

54.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.32 €1.19

56.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.66 €1.49

-12.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.55 €0.49

70.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.89 €6.17

-0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$7.88 €7.05

0.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.56 €1.40

-9.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.92 €1.72

32.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.72 €1.54

82.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$42.15 €37.75

-39.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.57 €4.99

-46.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.41 €1.27

5.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$28.28 €25.33

18.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.01 €1.80

-10.45%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.7K €31.1K

-4.40%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.5K €33.6K

-15.43%

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

$180 €162

$236 €211

-23.43%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$11.45 €10.26

20.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$27.20 €24.36

23.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$54.4 €48.72

-5.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$23.70 €21.23

-32.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.39 €8.41

17.04%

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

$917 €821

$424 €379

116.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$4,480 €4,012

267.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$87.7 €78.5

-0.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$41.99 €37.61

-8.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$95.5 €85.6

10.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$157 €141

-23.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$625 €560

171.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$423 €379

220.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,059 €948

145.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$873 €782

136.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,970 €2,660

132.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,006 €1,797

155.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,661 €1,487

33.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.46

-5.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Massa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Massa

$423 26.7% 68.8% $932

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Massa

$333 21% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Massa

$250 15.8% 6.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Massa

$274 17.3% 20.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Massa

$172 10.8% 8.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Massa

$73 4.6% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Massa

$62 3.9% 27.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $625 in Massa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 33% 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 $73 in Massa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $333 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Massa

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

69,479

💱 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 Massa 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Massa

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 Massa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,587 in Massa, so Massa is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% 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 $625 in Massa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $424 in Massa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,587 in Massa versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Massa but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Massa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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