Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Metz

For one person, living is cheaper in Metz: $1,859 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Metz
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Metz Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Metz

🇫🇷 France

$1,859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Metz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,859 in Metz.

Barcelona $2,453
Metz $1,859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,789 in Metz.

Barcelona $3,509
Metz $2,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,719 in Metz.

Barcelona $4,564
Metz $3,719

Living in Barcelona is roughly 32% more expensive than in Metz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Metz 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$16.52 €14.79

6.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

-0.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.07 €9.92

22.22%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.58 €3.21

-10.89%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.92 €3.51

-25.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.36 €2.11

-19.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.90 €4.39

-18.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.73 €5.13

-20.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.11 €1.00

18.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.52 €2.26

-19.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.65 €2.37

-30.19%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.46 €3.99

8.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$21.84 €19.56

-23.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.69 €12.26

-33.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$21.86 €19.58

-10.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.19 €2.86

-6.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.20 €1.97

-8.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.87 €2.57

-5.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.11 €3.68

-31.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.82 €1.63

14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.56 €2.29

-19.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.86 €1.67

-21.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.92 €0.83

2.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$14.35 €12.85

-52.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$9.10 €8.15

-13.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.74 €2.46

-48.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.55 €3.18

-28.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.20 €1.97

42.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$57.0 €51.1

-55.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.99 €8.06

-66.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.49 €1.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$44.00 €39.41

-24.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.10 €1.88

-14.29%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.5K €30.9K

-3.75%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.1K €34.1K

-16.74%

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

$180 €162

$154 €138

17.25%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$15.72 €14.08

-11.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$23.14 €20.72

45.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$19.57 €17.53

163.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$11.16 €10.00

43.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.19 €10.02

-1.79%

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

$917 €821

$1,764 €1,579

-48.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$25.9K €23.2K

-36.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$95.1 €85.2

-8.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$21.91 €19.62

75.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$95.0 €85.1

11.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$162 €145

-25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$746 €668

127.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$711 €636

90.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,133 €1,014

129.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,073 €961

92.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$3,703 €3,317

86.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,960 €2,651

73.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,278 €2,936

-32.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.45

-4.93%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Metz: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Metz

$711 38.2% 47.6% $645

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Metz

$394 21.2% 22.3% $72

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Metz

$269 14.5% 0.6% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Metz

$193 10.4% 15.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Metz

$168 9.1% 6.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Metz

$42 2.3% 42.9% $32

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Metz

$82 4.4% 69.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $746 in Metz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Metz pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in Metz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $394 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Metz

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

120,874

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Metz 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Metz

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 Metz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,859 in Metz, so Metz is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $746 in Metz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,764 in Metz. 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 55% less than in Metz. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Metz are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.