Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mbeya

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbeya: $426 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
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Mbeya Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mbeya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $426 in Mbeya.

Barcelona $2,381
Mbeya $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $656 in Mbeya.

Barcelona $3,406
Mbeya $656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $887 in Mbeya.

Barcelona $4,431
Mbeya $887

Living in Barcelona is roughly 459% more expensive than in Mbeya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Mbeya is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$22.68 TZS 59.4K

191.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.77 TZS 20.4K

76.19%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.52 TZS 3,989

101.32%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.37 TZS 958

729.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.37 TZS 964

424.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.72 TZS 1,882

437.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.55 TZS 1,435

136.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.93 TZS 2,430

125.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.92 TZS 2,414

98.91%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.32 TZS 6,067

99.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$3.80 TZS 9,949

356.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$3.72 TZS 9,734

149.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$3.30 TZS 8,643

500.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.15 TZS 3,003

161.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.78 TZS 2,051

160.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.99 TZS 2,581

167.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.73 TZS 1,917

293.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.97 TZS 2,538

122.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.78 TZS 2,053

175.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.56 TZS 1,465

162.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.72 TZS 1,883

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$1.14 TZS 2,998

507.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$3.72 TZS 9,744

110.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.78 TZS 2,045

78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.16 TZS 3,038

126.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.40 TZS 1,036

627.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.10 TZS 2,891

172.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.85 TZS 4,834

-22.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$2.61 TZS 6,831

1172.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.22 TZS 3,204

52.46%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

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

$31.7K €28.2K

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

$183 €163

$23.68 TZS 62.0K

671.79%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$18.83 TZS 49.3K

-27.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$46.09 TZS 120.7K

-28.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$37.78 TZS 98.9K

44.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.50 TZS 24.9K

18.21%

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

$954 €849

$191 TZS 500.6K

399.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$1,129 TZS 3.0M

1371.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$11.42 TZS 29.9K

653.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$9.23 TZS 24.2K

323.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$19.08 TZS 50.0K

443.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$26.12 TZS 68.4K

354.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$114 TZS 297.4K

1392.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$76.4 TZS 200.0K

1571.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$187 TZS 491.0K

1273.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$112 TZS 292.3K

1622.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$191 TZS 501.5K

1062.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-74.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mbeya: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Mbeya

$76 17.9% 94% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Mbeya

$115 26.9% 64.7% $210

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Mbeya

$48 * 11.3% 82.1% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Mbeya

$89 20.8% 61.4% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Mbeya

$30 7% 81% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Mbeya

$57 13.3% 26.4% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8% 74.8% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $114 in Mbeya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 1063% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $23.00 in Mbeya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $115 per month, with Mbeya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

541,603

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Mbeya 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mbeya

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 Mbeya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Mbeya differ by about 459% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $426 including rent). Mbeya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1063% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $114 in Mbeya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $191 in Mbeya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mbeya – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $426 in Mbeya versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mbeya but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mbeya 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 Mbeya 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 Mbeya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 459% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.