Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Meaux

For one person, living is cheaper in Meaux: $1,303 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Meaux
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Meaux Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Meaux

🇫🇷 France

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Meaux

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,303 in Meaux.

Barcelona $2,453
Meaux $1,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,100 in Meaux.

Barcelona $3,509
Meaux $2,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,896 in Meaux.

Barcelona $4,564
Meaux $2,896

Living in Barcelona is roughly 88% more expensive than in Meaux, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Meaux is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$19.20 €17.13

-8.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$79.1 €70.5

-14.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$13.50 €12.04

0.22%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$5.00 €4.46

-36.20%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$4.46 €3.98

-34.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.61 €2.33

-27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$8.00 €7.14

-49.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$6.66 €5.94

-31.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.32 €1.18

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.32 €1.18

53.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.65 €1.47

12.12%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.94 €3.51

22.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$11.22 €10.01

49.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$13.56 €12.10

-32.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$21.83 €19.48

-10.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.30 €2.95

-9.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.48 €1.32

36.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.85 €2.54

-5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.22 €1.98

26.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.90 €1.70

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.52 €2.25

-17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.37 €1.22

6.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.44 €0.39

113.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$14.82 €13.22

-53.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$4.54 €4.05

73.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.73 €2.43

-48.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.54 €3.16

-28.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$4.26 €3.80

-26.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$103 €92.3

-75.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$8.99 €8.02

-66.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$45.00 €40.15

-25.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.22 €1.98

-18.92%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$34.1K €30.4K

-2.62%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$37.2K €33.1K

-14.68%

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

$180 €161

$245 €218

-26.27%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$11.36 €10.13

21.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$29.89 €26.67

12.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$15.70 €14.01

-30.00%

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

$917 €818

$1,782 €1,590

-48.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$26.2K €23.4K

-37.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$111 €99.1

-21.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$51.3 €45.80

-24.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$117 €104

-9.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$160 €143

-25.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,528 €4,040

52.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$3,342 €2,982

53.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$3,236 €2,887

-31.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.45

-4.93%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Meaux: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Meaux

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Meaux

$315 24.2% 2.2% $6.9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Meaux

$336 25.8% 25.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Meaux

$286 22% 25.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Meaux

$198 15.2% 25.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Meaux

$31 * 2.4% 57.3% $42

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Meaux

$137 10.5% 182% $88

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

Cost Breakdown

Meaux pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $79 in Meaux. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $315, with Meaux cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Meaux

🕒 Local time

16:13 4:13 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

55,616

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Meaux 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Meaux

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 Meaux: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,303 in Meaux, so Meaux is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,782 in Meaux. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $79 in Meaux. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,303 in Meaux versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Meaux but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Meaux 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 Meaux are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.