Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Massy

For one person, living is cheaper in Massy: $2,204 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Massy
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Massy Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Massy

🇫🇷 France

$2,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Massy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,204 in Massy.

Barcelona $2,381
Massy $2,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,437 in Massy.

Barcelona $3,406
Massy $3,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,670 in Massy.

Barcelona $4,431
Massy $4,670

Living in Barcelona is roughly 8% more expensive than in Massy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Massy 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$17.74 €15.78

0.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$74.0 €65.8

-10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.29 €11.82

3.01%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.41 €3.93

-30.61%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.16 €2.81

-2.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.29 €2.03

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$7.96 €7.08

-51.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.65 €5.02

-18.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.55 €1.38

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.22 €1.97

-5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.68 €2.39

-31.72%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.20 €3.74

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$21.90 €19.48

-20.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$13.57 €12.07

-31.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$22.99 €20.45

-13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.30 €2.93

-8.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.20 €1.96

-7.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.37 €2.11

11.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.20 €3.73

-31.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.92 €1.71

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.06 €1.83

4.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.77 €1.58

-16.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.89 €0.79

-1.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$13.89 €12.35

-50.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.83 €7.86

-11.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.52 €2.24

-44.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.57 €3.17

-26.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.78 €2.47

4.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$94.6 €84.1

-73.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.18 €1.94

37.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.42 €1.27

1.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$24.11 €21.44

37.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.21 €1.96

-15.84%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$34.1K €30.3K

-5.17%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$37.2K €33.1K

-14.79%

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

$183 €163

$214 €190

-14.43%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$15.60 €13.88

-12.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$31.36 €27.89

5.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$36.06 €32.08

51.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$22.71 €20.20

-27.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.56 €12.95

-22.87%

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

$954 €849

$804 €715

18.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$5,515 €4,906

201.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$108 €96.4

-20.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$52.3 €46.54

-25.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$118 €105

-12.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$112 €100

5.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,177 €1,047

44.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$886 €788

44.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,594 €1,418

61.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,709 €1,520

12.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,935 €5,280

22.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,404 €3,028

47.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,020 €2,687

-26.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.85

-14.81%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Massy: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Massy

$886 40.2% 30.6% $390

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Massy

$393 17.8% 20.9% $68

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Massy

$308 14% 14.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Massy

$261 11.8% 13.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Massy

$176 8% 12.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Massy

$65 3% 15.5% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Massy

$115 5.2% 143% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,177 in Massy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Massy pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $74.0 in Massy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $393 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Massy

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

50,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Massy 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Massy

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 Massy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Massy differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,204 including rent). Massy is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Massy. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,177 in Massy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $804 in Massy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,204 in Massy versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Massy but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Massy 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 Massy are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Massy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.