Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mdina

For one person, living is cheaper in Mdina: $1,949 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mdina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,949 in Mdina.

Barcelona $2,453
Mdina $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,085 in Mdina.

Barcelona $3,509
Mdina $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,222 in Mdina.

Barcelona $4,564
Mdina $4,222

Living in Barcelona is roughly 26% more expensive than in Mdina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Mdina 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$19.36 €17.28

-9.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$87.2 €77.8

-22.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$13.40 €11.95

0.97%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.75 €2.45

16.00%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$3.05 €2.72

-4.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.20 €1.96

-14.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$4.67 €4.16

-14.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$5.09 €4.54

-11.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.39 €1.24

-5.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.36 €1.21

48.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$4.44 €3.96

-58.33%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.23 €3.78

14.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$8.04 €7.18

108.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$10.39 €9.27

-12.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$18.10 €16.14

8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$4.13 €3.69

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.75 €2.45

-26.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$3.69 €3.29

-26.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.34 €2.98

-16.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.25 €2.01

-7.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.90 €1.70

8.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.39 €2.13

-38.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.34 €1.19

-29.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$6.66 €5.94

3.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$8.08 €7.21

-2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.72 €1.53

-18.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.33 €2.08

9.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$1.91 €1.70

64.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$5.64 €5.04

-46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.27 €2.02

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$26.39 €23.55

26.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.54 €1.38

16.88%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$37.8K €33.7K

-12.08%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$38.9K €34.7K

-18.58%

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

$180 €161

$104 €93.0

73.12%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$25.71 €22.94

-46.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$43.38 €38.70

-22.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$65.3 €58.2

-21.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$9.93 €8.86

10.67%

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

$917 €818

$369 €330

148.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$11.0K €9,771

50.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$86.6 €77.3

0.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$41.09 €36.66

-6.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$101 €89.8

5.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$78.3 €69.9

52.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,240 €1,106

37.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$919 €820

47.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,605 €1,432

62.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,720 €1,535

19.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,482 €3,999

54.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,585 €2,306

98.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,497 €1,335

47.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.9

13.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mdina: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Mdina

$919 47.1% 32.2% $436

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Mdina

$327 16.8% 1.5% $4.8

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Mdina

$283 14.5% 5.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Mdina

$173 8.9% 24% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Mdina

$138 7.1% 12.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Mdina

$85 4.4% 15.8% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Mdina

$25 * 1.3% 49.2% $24

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,240 in Mdina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $87 in Mdina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $327 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Mdina

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

193

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Mdina 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mdina

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 Mdina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,949 in Mdina, so Mdina is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $1,240 in Mdina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $369 in Mdina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,949 in Mdina – Mdina is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mdina 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 Mdina are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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