Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Melissia

For one person, living is cheaper in Melissia: $1,449 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Melissia
Learn more

Melissia Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Melissia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Melissia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,449 in Melissia.

Barcelona $2,453
Melissia $1,449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,216 in Melissia.

Barcelona $3,509
Melissia $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,983 in Melissia.

Barcelona $4,564
Melissia $2,983

Living in Barcelona is roughly 69% more expensive than in Melissia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Melissia 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$11.12 €9.96

58.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$57.8 €51.8

16.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.82 €7.90

53.40%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.19 €3.75

-23.87%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.34 €2.09

24.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.59 €0.53

220.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.43 €3.97

-9.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.89 €4.38

-7.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.81 €1.62

-27.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.45 €1.30

39.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.67 €2.39

-30.71%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.27 €4.72

-8.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$12.08 €10.82

38.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.06 €9.01

-9.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$19.36 €17.34

1.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.22 €1.99

34.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.90 €1.70

6.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.35 €1.21

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.13 €1.91

31.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.16 €1.04

80.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.09 €0.98

89.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.90 €0.80

62.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.16 €1.04

-18.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$5.64 €5.06

21.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$9.93 €8.89

-20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.07 €1.86

-31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.39 €2.14

6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.37 €1.23

129.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$54.8 €49.09

-53.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.46 €3.99

-32.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.04 €0.93

43.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$16.50 €14.78

102.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.21 €1.98

-18.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.6K €24.7K

20.44%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$24.4K €21.8K

30.05%

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

$180 €162

$199 €178

-9.46%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$25.51 €22.85

-45.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$28.69 €25.69

17.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$53.0 €47.49

-2.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$22.20 €19.88

-28.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.56 €8.56

14.96%

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

$917 €821

$466 €417

96.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$4,741 €4,246

247.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$90.4 €80.9

-3.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$39.22 €35.13

-1.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$101 €90.1

5.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$124 €111

-3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$461 €413

268.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$379 €339

257.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$730 €654

256.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$617 €552

234.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,471 €2,213

179.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$1,934 €1,733

165.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,368 €1,225

61.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.48

-26.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melissia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Melissia

$379 26.1% 72% $976

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Melissia

$306 21.1% 5% $16

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Melissia

$209 14.5% 21.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Melissia

$253 17.5% 11.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Melissia

$160 11% 1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Melissia

$72 5% 1.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Melissia

$70 4.8% 44.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $461 in Melissia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 62% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $58 in Melissia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $306 per month, with Melissia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇷 Melissia

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

04:46 4:46 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

15,588

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Melissia 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Melissia

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 Melissia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,449 in Melissia, so Melissia is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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 $461 in Melissia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $466 in Melissia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Melissia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Melissia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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