Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mestre

For one person, living is cheaper in Mestre: $1,784 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Mestre
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Mestre Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Mestre

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mestre

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,784 in Mestre.

Barcelona $2,453
Mestre $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,808 in Mestre.

Barcelona $3,509
Mestre $2,808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,832 in Mestre.

Barcelona $4,564
Mestre $3,832

Living in Barcelona is roughly 38% more expensive than in Mestre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Mestre 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$13.15 €11.79

33.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$91.0 €81.6

-25.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.44 €11.15

8.76%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.04 €1.83

56.37%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.95 €2.65

-1.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.46 €1.31

29.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.62 €5.93

-39.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.40 €4.84

-16.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.72 €1.54

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.51 €2.25

-19.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.22 €2.88

-42.55%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.76 €3.37

28.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$17.48 €15.66

-4.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.60 €11.29

-27.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$21.49 €19.26

-8.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.06 €2.74

-2.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.92 €1.72

5.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.41 €3.05

-20.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.13 €2.80

-10.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.99 €1.79

5.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.28 €2.04

-9.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.65 €1.48

-11.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.61 €0.55

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.90 €6.19

-0.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.88 €6.17

14.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.54 €1.38

-8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.72 €1.54

47.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.70 €1.52

84.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$40.79 €36.55

-37.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.73 €4.24

-36.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.40 €1.26

6.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$30.66 €27.48

8.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.02 €1.81

-10.89%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.4K €31.7K

-6.31%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$36.9K €33.1K

-14.19%

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

$180 €162

$205 €184

-12.20%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$8.66 €7.76

59.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$29.29 €26.24

15.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$48.25 €43.23

6.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$20.01 €17.93

-20.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.13 €9.97

-1.26%

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

$917 €821

$682 €611

34.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.1K €9,974

48.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$78.8 €70.7

10.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$34.06 €30.53

13.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$105 €94.1

0.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$167 €150

-28.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$857 €768

98.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$653 €585

107.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,459 €1,308

78.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,163 €1,042

77.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,871 €1,677

269.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,579 €1,415

224.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,909 €1,711

15.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.31

-0.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mestre: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Mestre

$653 36.6% 51.8% $702

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Mestre

$355 19.9% 10.4% $34

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Mestre

$229 12.8% 14.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Mestre

$243 13.7% 6.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Mestre

$173 9.7% 9.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Mestre

$71 4% 4.1% $3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Mestre

$59 3.3% 22.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $857 in Mestre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 16% 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 $91 in Mestre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $355 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Mestre

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

87,377

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Mestre 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mestre

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 Mestre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,784 in Mestre, so Mestre is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $857 in Mestre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $682 in Mestre. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mestre gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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