Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mellieha

For one person, living is cheaper in Mellieha: $1,906 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mellieha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,906 in Mellieha.

Barcelona $2,453
Mellieha $1,906

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,828 in Mellieha.

Barcelona $3,509
Mellieha $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,750 in Mellieha.

Barcelona $4,564
Mellieha $3,750

Living in Barcelona is roughly 29% more expensive than in Mellieha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Mellieha 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$16.70 €14.96

5.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$63.6 €57.0

6.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.48 €9.40

29.10%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.69 €2.41

18.59%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.40 €2.15

21.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.99 €1.78

-5.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.82 €3.42

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.81 €6.10

-33.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.37 €1.23

-4.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.31 €1.18

54.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.53 €3.16

-47.59%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.42 €3.96

9.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$10.39 €9.31

61.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.69 €8.68

-5.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$18.24 €16.34

7.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.80 €3.41

-21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.82 €2.53

-28.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.86 €3.46

-30.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.65 €3.27

-23.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.84 €1.65

13.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.33 €2.99

-37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.73 €1.55

-15.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.14 €1.02

-17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.16 €5.52

11.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.99 €5.37

31.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.47 €2.21

-42.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.29 €2.06

10.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.83 €2.54

10.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.01 €3.59

-25.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.78 €1.59

-16.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$33.21 €29.76

0.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.52 €1.36

18.42%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.6K €24.7K

20.45%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$39.3K €35.2K

-19.30%

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

$180 €162

$105 €94.5

71.15%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$31.00 €27.78

-55.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$29.87 €26.77

12.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$61.2 €54.8

-15.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.26 €7.40

33.05%

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

$917 €821

$282 €252

225.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$12.3K €11.0K

34.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$57.7 €51.7

50.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$39.63 €35.51

-2.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$83.6 €74.9

26.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$71.7 €64.2

67.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,112 €996

52.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$952 €853

42.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,740 €1,559

49.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,502 €1,346

37.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,949 €3,538

75.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,855 €2,558

79.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,339 €1,200

65.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.05

-19.01%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mellieha: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Mellieha

$952 50% 29.7% $403

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Mellieha

$324 17% 0.8% $2.4

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Mellieha

$248 13% 7.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Mellieha

$166 8.7% 27.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Mellieha

$114 6% 28% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Mellieha

$78 4.1% 5.7% $4.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3% 50% $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 $1,112 in Mellieha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 65% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $64 in Mellieha. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $324, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

10,087

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Mellieha 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mellieha

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 Mellieha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,906 in Mellieha, so Mellieha is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% 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 $1,112 in Mellieha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $282 in Mellieha. 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 $1,906 in Mellieha – Mellieha is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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