Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Modena

For one person, living is cheaper in Modena: $1,881 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Modena
Learn more

Modena Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Modena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Modena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,881 in Modena.

Barcelona $2,453
Modena $1,881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,040 in Modena.

Barcelona $3,509
Modena $3,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,200 in Modena.

Barcelona $4,564
Modena $4,200

Living in Barcelona is roughly 30% more expensive than in Modena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Modena 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$22.58 €20.29

-22.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$87.9 €79.0

-23.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$13.18 €11.84

2.66%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$1.89 €1.70

68.78%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.94 €2.64

-1.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.55 €1.39

21.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$6.59 €5.92

-39.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.75 €5.17

-21.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.46 €1.31

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.54 €2.29

-20.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.66 €1.50

11.45%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$4.92 €4.42

-1.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$20.46 €18.38

-18.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$13.82 €12.41

-34.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$21.61 €19.42

-9.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.58 €2.32

15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.55 €2.29

-20.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$3.28 €2.94

-17.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.06 €2.75

-8.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.46 €2.21

-15.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.66 €1.49

24.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.36 €1.23

7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.67 €0.60

40.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$6.51 €5.85

5.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.09

$9.00 €8.09

-12.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.54 €1.38

-8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.62 €2.36

-3.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.21 €1.98

42.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$37.38 €33.59

-31.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$6.41 €5.76

-53.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.40 €1.26

6.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.99

$31.81 €28.58

4.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$2.09 €1.88

-13.88%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$37.0K €33.2K

-10.18%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$35.4K €31.8K

-10.42%

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

$180 €162

$195 €175

-7.55%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$13.10 €11.77

5.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.28

$30.99 €27.84

8.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.28

$71.2 €63.9

-27.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$22.60 €20.31

-29.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$10.96 €9.85

0.27%

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

$917 €824

$763 €686

20.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$15.3K €13.7K

7.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$85.1 €76.5

2.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.60

$41.41 €37.20

-7.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$96.9 €87.1

9.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$108 €97.0

10.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$856 €769

98.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,218

$661 €594

105.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$1,716 €1,542

51.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,336 €1,200

54.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,213

$3,557 €3,196

94.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,607

$2,291 €2,059

123.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$2,028 €1,822

9.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.29

-0.30%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Modena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Modena

$661 35.1% 51.2% $694

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Modena

$373 19.9% 16% $52

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Modena

$305 16.2% 13.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Modena

$239 12.7% 4.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Modena

$149 7.9% 5.6% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Modena

$93 5% 26.6% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Modena

$60 3.2% 23% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $856 in Modena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 9% 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 $88 in Modena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $373 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Modena

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

184,973

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Modena 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Modena

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 Modena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Modena differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $1,881 including rent). Modena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% 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 $856 in Modena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $763 in Modena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Modena are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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