Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Matsudo Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Matsudo

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,163 in Matsudo.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,837 in Matsudo.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,511 in Matsudo.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 103% more expensive than Matsudo, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Matsudo is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$6.96 ¥1,113

152.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$34.74 ¥5,556

97.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$5.35 ¥856

162.80%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$3.19 ¥511

-12.85%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$1.13 ¥181

147.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.76 ¥121

171.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$2.03 ¥325

119.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$2.10 ¥336

119.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.50 ¥239

-17.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.66 ¥265

22.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$4.85 ¥776

-60.41%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$1.55 ¥248

113.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$9.92 ¥1,586

85.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$6.21 ¥993

52.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$15.23 ¥2,436

25.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$5.99 ¥958

-55.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$3.09 ¥493

-20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$4.14 ¥662

-48.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$4.62 ¥738

-38.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$3.32 ¥531

-38.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$3.56 ¥569

-48.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.33 ¥213

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.87 ¥139

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$4.08 ¥653

75.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$9.64 ¥1,541

-18.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.84 ¥295

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.11 ¥338

9.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$1.60 ¥256

86.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$54.5 ¥8,722

-46.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$3.41 ¥545

34.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$2.89 ¥463

-28.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$22.09 ¥3,533

32.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.15 ¥183

60.00%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$23.1K ¥3.7M

69.03%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

79.86%

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

$188 €162

$84.5 ¥13.5K

122.30%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$27.96 ¥4,472

-17.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$17.25 ¥2,759

112.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$56.7 ¥9,068

1.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$13.60 ¥2,176

52.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$11.40 ¥1,823

-1.84%

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

$721 €621

$283 ¥45.3K

154.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$14.0K ¥2.2M

7.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$40.94 ¥6,548

110.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$29.67 ¥4,746

24.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$60.3 ¥9,639

69.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$95.8 ¥15.3K

20.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$476 ¥76.2K

221.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$332 ¥53.1K

267.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$878 ¥140.5K

206.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$663 ¥106.1K

203.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$4,662 ¥745.6K

54.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

$2,596 ¥415.2K

99.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$1,996 ¥319.3K

18.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

2.05

65.37%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Matsudo: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $476 in Matsudo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 18% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $35.00 in Matsudo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $317 per month, with Matsudo cheaper across the board.

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 Matsudo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Matsudo differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,163 including rent). Matsudo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 18% more on average, 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $476 in Matsudo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $283 in Matsudo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,163 in Matsudo versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Matsudo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Matsudo 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 Matsudo 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 Matsudo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.