Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Messina

For one person, living is cheaper in Messina: $1,379 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Messina
Learn more

Messina Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Messina

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Messina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,379 in Messina.

Barcelona $2,453
Messina $1,379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,392 in Messina.

Barcelona $3,509
Messina $2,392

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,404 in Messina.

Barcelona $4,564
Messina $3,404

Living in Barcelona is roughly 78% more expensive than in Messina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$16.90 €15.15

4.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$67.8 €60.8

-0.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.41 €11.12

9.02%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.97 €1.77

61.93%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.36 €2.11

23.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.19 €1.07

58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.55 €4.08

-11.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.33 €2.98

36.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.30 €1.17

0.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.84 €1.65

9.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.74 €2.45

-32.48%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.89 €2.59

67.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$14.49 €12.98

15.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.55 €9.45

-13.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$16.82 €15.07

16.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.91 €2.61

2.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.65 €1.47

22.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.14 €1.02

136.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.40 €3.05

-17.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.65 €0.58

221.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.52 €1.36

36.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.42 €1.27

2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.40 €0.36

135.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.75 €5.15

37.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.67 €1.50

-15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.32 €2.08

9.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.65 €1.48

90.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$41.21 €36.93

-38.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.72 €5.13

-47.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.14 €1.02

30.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$38.73 €34.70

-13.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.05 €1.84

-12.20%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.9K €31.3K

-5.00%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$31.2K €28.0K

1.51%

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

$180 €162

$178 €159

1.51%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$10.17 €9.12

36.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$25.62 €22.96

31.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$46.70 €41.85

10.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$16.57 €14.85

-3.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.57 €8.58

14.84%

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

$917 €821

$337 €302

172.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$5,512 €4,939

198.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$71.2 €63.8

22.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$30.95 €27.73

24.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$86.9 €77.8

21.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$125 €112

-4.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$522 €468

225.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$373 €334

263.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,199 €1,074

117.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,096 €982

88.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,011 €1,802

243.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,655 €1,483

209.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,675 €1,501

32.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.39

-3.24%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Messina: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Messina

$373 27.1% 72.5% $982

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Messina

$287 20.8% 11% $35

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Messina

$240 17.4% 10.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Messina

$214 15.5% 6.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Messina

$142 10.3% 10.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Messina

$66 4.8% 10.4% $7.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Messina

$59 4.3% 22.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $522 in Messina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 32% 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 $68 in Messina. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $287, with Messina cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Messina

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

217,734

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Messina 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Messina

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 Messina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,379 in Messina, so Messina is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% 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 $522 in Messina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $337 in Messina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 38% less than in Messina. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Messina 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.

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