Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mlava

For one person, living is cheaper in Mlava: $1,401 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Mlava
Learn more

Mlava Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Mlava

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,401

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mlava

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,401 in Mlava.

Barcelona $2,381
Mlava $1,401

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,989 in Mlava.

Barcelona $3,406
Mlava $1,989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,577 in Mlava.

Barcelona $4,431
Mlava $2,577

Living in Barcelona is roughly 70% more expensive than in Mlava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Mlava 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$10.04 zł 39.02

78.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$25.85 zł 100

155.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.68 zł 29.86

78.26%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.50 zł 9.70

22.40%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.85 zł 7.21

65.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.63 zł 6.34

19.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.57 zł 10.00

50.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.73 zł 14.49

23.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.04 zł 4.06

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.66 zł 6.44

26.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.91 zł 3.53

101.10%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.82 zł 14.84

20.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$8.77 zł 34.07

97.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$7.15 zł 27.77

29.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$11.70 zł 45.44

69.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.36 zł 5.27

121.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.68 zł 6.52

20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.60 zł 6.23

65.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.20 zł 12.42

-10.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.97 zł 3.78

122.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.36 zł 5.29

58.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.10 zł 4.27

33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.65 zł 2.53

35.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$4.80 zł 18.66

44.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.39 zł 24.82

22.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.05 zł 4.07

32.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.41 zł 5.48

86.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.09 zł 4.22

166.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$30.12 zł 117

-15.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.13 zł 8.28

40.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.84 zł 3.27

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$9.89 zł 38.41

235.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.60 zł 6.23

16.25%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$30.9K zł 120.1K

4.62%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$27.7K zł 107.6K

14.46%

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

$183 €163

$278 zł 1,081

-34.31%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$6.20 zł 24.09

119.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$7.53 zł 29.27

337.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$37.75 zł 147

44.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$22.24 zł 86.4

-25.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.06 zł 19.66

121.94%

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

$954 €849

$328 zł 1,273

191.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$5,091 zł 19.8K

226.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$81.4 zł 316

5.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$36.08 zł 140

8.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$89.1 zł 346

16.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$76.4 zł 297

55.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$600 zł 2,332

182.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$505 zł 1,961

152.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$987 zł 3,833

161.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$805 zł 3,130

138.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,950 zł 11.5K

146.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,201 zł 8,550

127.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,021 zł 3,967

118.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.89

-52.39%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mlava: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Mlava

$505 36% 60.5% $772

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Mlava

$221 15.8% 32% $104

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Mlava

$168 12% 37.8% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Mlava

$292 20.8% 27.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Mlava

$127 9.1% 18.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Mlava

$48 3.4% 38% $29

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Mlava

$41 2.9% 13.8% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $600 in Mlava. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 118% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $26.00 in Mlava for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $221 per month, with Mlava cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇱 Mlava

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

31,130

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Mlava 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mlava

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 Mlava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Mlava differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,401 including rent). Mlava is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 118% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $600 in Mlava. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $328 in Mlava. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,401 in Mlava versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mlava but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mlava 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 Mlava 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 Mlava gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.