Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mataro

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataro: $1,844 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Mataro
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Mataro Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Mataro

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mataro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,844 in Mataro.

Barcelona $2,453
Mataro $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,696 in Mataro.

Barcelona $3,509
Mataro $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,548 in Mataro.

Barcelona $4,564
Mataro $3,548

Living in Barcelona is roughly 33% more expensive than in Mataro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Mataro 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$16.70 €15.00

5.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$56.6 €50.9

19.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$13.34 €11.99

1.42%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.04 €1.83

56.37%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.33 €2.09

24.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$3.40 €3.05

33.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.23 €1.11

6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.08 €1.87

-2.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.48 €1.33

25.00%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.99 €3.58

21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$17.04 €15.31

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$9.27 €8.33

-1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$19.59 €17.60

0.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.64 €2.37

12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.96 €1.76

3.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.69 €2.41

0.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.86 €2.57

-2.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.07 €1.86

0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.28 €2.05

-9.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.52 €1.36

-3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.88 €0.79

6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$6.35 €5.70

8.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$5.64 €5.07

39.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.10 €0.99

28.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.29 €2.06

10.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.54 €2.28

23.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$34.37 €30.87

-25.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.30 €2.07

30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.07 €0.96

39.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$29.06 €26.10

14.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.74 €1.56

3.45%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$32.3K €29.0K

2.74%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$32.0K €28.8K

-1.03%

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

$180 €162

$184 €165

-2.04%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$12.18 €10.94

13.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$29.34 €26.35

14.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$60.8 €54.6

-15.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$13.76 €12.36

15.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$10.81 €9.71

1.67%

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

$917 €823

$500 €449

83.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,830 €7,034

110.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$87.1 €78.2

-0.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$39.89 €35.83

-3.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$96.9 €87.0

9.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$114 €102

5.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$940 €844

80.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$780 €700

73.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,333 €1,198

95.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,172 €1,053

75.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,286 €2,951

110.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,846 €2,557

80.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,861 €1,672

18.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mataro: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Mataro

$780 42.3% 42.5% $576

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Mataro

$310 16.8% 3.6% $12

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Mataro

$242 13.1% 9.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Mataro

$226 12.2% 1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Mataro

$152 8.2% 3.8% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Mataro

$82 4.5% 12.1% $8.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Mataro

$52 2.8% 7.7% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $940 in Mataro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 19% 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 $57 in Mataro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $310 per month, with Mataro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Mataro

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

129,870

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Mataro 28 km

From you

Barcelona
Mataro

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 Mataro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,844 in Mataro, so Mataro is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% 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 $940 in Mataro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $500 in Mataro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mataro gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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