Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Melun

For one person, living is cheaper in Melun: $1,687 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Melun
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Melun Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Melun

🇫🇷 France

$1,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Melun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,687 in Melun.

Barcelona $2,381
Melun $1,687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,511 in Melun.

Barcelona $3,406
Melun $2,511

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,335 in Melun.

Barcelona $4,431
Melun $3,335

Living in Barcelona is roughly 41% more expensive than in Melun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Melun 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$12.73 €11.32

40.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$53.1 €47.20

24.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.41 €11.93

2.09%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.99 €2.66

2.34%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.68 €1.50

82.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.73 €1.54

12.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$7.44 €6.62

-47.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.63 €5.00

-18.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.32 €1.17

-1.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.89 €1.68

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.86 €2.54

-36.01%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.17 €3.70

10.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$21.19 €18.85

-18.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$12.88 €11.46

-27.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$22.95 €20.41

-13.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.31 €2.94

-9.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.12 €1.88

-4.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.35 €2.09

12.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.08 €2.74

-6.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.82 €1.62

18.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.99 €1.77

8.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.77 €1.58

-16.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.63 €0.56

39.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$13.92 €12.38

-50.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.20 €7.29

-4.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.46 €2.19

-43.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$4.27 €3.80

-38.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.95 €1.73

49.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$47.25 €42.03

-46.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.21 €1.97

35.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.16 €1.92

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$23.81 €21.18

39.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.23 €1.98

-16.59%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$34.1K €30.3K

-5.11%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$34.3K €30.5K

-7.48%

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

$183 €163

$197 €176

-7.37%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$15.10 €13.43

-9.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$28.14 €25.03

17.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$35.17 €31.29

55.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.97 €8.87

12.64%

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

$954 €849

$623 €554

53.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$8,092 €7,197

105.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$86.6 €77.0

-0.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$40.76 €36.25

-4.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$103 €92.1

0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$102 €90.4

16.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$742 €660

128.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$561 €499

127.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,193 €1,061

115.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$883 €785

117.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,959 €3,522

83.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,978 €2,649

68.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,499 €2,223

-10.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.92

-16.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Melun: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Melun

$561 33.2% 56.1% $715

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Melun

$372 22.1% 14.6% $47

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Melun

$240 14.2% 10.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Melun

$241 14.3% 4.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Melun

$150 8.9% 4.3% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Melun

$55 3.3% 28.6% $22

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Melun

$68 4% 43.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $742 in Melun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melun pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $53.0 in Melun. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $372, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Melun

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

42,367

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Melun 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Melun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Melun differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,687 including rent). Melun is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Melun. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $742 in Melun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $623 in Melun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,687 in Melun versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Melun but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Melun 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 Melun 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 Melun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.