Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Matsuyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Matsuyama: $1,277 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Matsuyama
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Matsuyama Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Matsuyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,277 in Matsuyama.

Barcelona $2,381
Matsuyama $1,277

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,017 in Matsuyama.

Barcelona $3,406
Matsuyama $2,017

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,758 in Matsuyama.

Barcelona $4,431
Matsuyama $2,758

Living in Barcelona is roughly 86% more expensive than in Matsuyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Matsuyama is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$6.38 ¥1,008

180.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$30.99 ¥4,896

113.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.71 ¥744

190.66%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.38 ¥376

28.57%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.19 ¥188

157.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.58 ¥91.7

234.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.09 ¥330

85.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.29 ¥361

101.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.50 ¥238

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.33 ¥210

57.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$5.40 ¥853

-66.11%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.08 ¥329

122.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$12.49 ¥1,974

38.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.48 ¥1,498

-2.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$32.49 ¥5,134

-38.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.67 ¥579

-17.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.32 ¥367

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$6.34 ¥1,001

-58.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.24 ¥670

-32.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.67 ¥580

-41.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.45 ¥545

-37.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.24 ¥196

18.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.97 ¥154

-9.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.51 ¥555

97.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.99 ¥1,262

-2.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.97 ¥312

-29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.44 ¥227

82.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.44 ¥228

102.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$52.7 ¥8,327

-51.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.23 ¥510

-7.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.08 ¥486

-53.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$26.40 ¥4,170

25.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.10 ¥173

69.09%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$20.0K ¥3.2M

61.48%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$16.7K ¥2.6M

89.82%

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

$183 €163

$144 ¥22.8K

26.65%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$23.66 ¥3,738

-42.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$43.16 ¥6,819

-23.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$53.0 ¥8,379

3.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$12.54 ¥1,982

-10.45%

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

$954 €849

$319 ¥50.3K

199.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$6,069 ¥958.9K

173.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$49.43 ¥7,809

74.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$25.19 ¥3,980

55.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$46.18 ¥7,297

124.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$66.3 ¥10.5K

78.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$526 ¥83.2K

222.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$328 ¥51.8K

289.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,122 ¥177.3K

129.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$724 ¥114.4K

165.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,302 ¥679.6K

69.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,726 ¥272.6K

190.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.28

43.86%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Matsuyama: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Matsuyama

$328 25.7% 74.3% $948

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Matsuyama

$383 30% 17.7% $58

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Matsuyama

$116 9.1% 57% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Matsuyama

$211 16.5% 7.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Matsuyama

$84 6.6% 46.1% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Matsuyama

$78 6.1% 1.3% $1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Matsuyama

$77 6% 62.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $526 in Matsuyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $31.00 in Matsuyama. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $383, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Matsuyama

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

511,192

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Matsuyama 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Matsuyama

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 Matsuyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Matsuyama differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,277 including rent). Matsuyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,915 in Matsuyama to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $526 in Matsuyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $319 in Matsuyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,277 in Matsuyama versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Matsuyama but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Matsuyama 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 Matsuyama 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 Matsuyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.