Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Monaghan

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Monaghan: $2,443 and $2,382 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Monaghan
Learn more

Monaghan Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monaghan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Monaghan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,382 in Monaghan.

Barcelona $2,443
Monaghan $2,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,362 in Monaghan.

Barcelona $3,519
Monaghan $3,362

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,343 in Monaghan.

Barcelona $4,595
Monaghan $4,343

Living in Barcelona is roughly 3% more expensive than in Monaghan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Monaghan 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.73

$17.47 €15.56

1.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$57.8 €51.5

16.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.13

$12.33 €10.98

10.38%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$4.02 €3.58

-22.89%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.57 €2.29

16.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.11 €1.88

-8.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$6.57 €5.85

-41.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$6.57 €5.85

-33.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.61 €1.44

-22.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.11 €1.88

0.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.77 €1.58

11.30%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$4.32 €3.85

10.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$9.84 €8.76

73.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.98

$12.13 €10.81

-26.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$13.20 €11.75

56.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.97 €2.64

6.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.22 €1.98

-11.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.99 €2.66

-11.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$4.02 €3.58

-28.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.86 €1.65

10.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.51 €1.35

44.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.26 €1.12

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.84 €1.64

-47.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$20.10 €17.91

-65.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.03

$13.30 €11.84

-40.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$3.26 €2.90

-56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.55 €3.16

-24.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.52 €2.24

31.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.81

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$5.06 €4.51

-39.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.49 €1.33

-0.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.28

$37.90 €33.76

-13.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.84 €1.64

1.63%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$38.3K €34.1K

-13.95%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$38.0K €33.8K

-15.93%

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

$183 €163

$241 €215

-24.12%

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

$14.24 €12.69

$20.67 €18.41

-31.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.79

$51.1 €45.55

-32.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.81

$57.6 €51.3

-10.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.86

$13.64 €12.15

-18.91%

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

$944 €841

$1,019 €908

-7.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$5,209 €4,640

327.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$93.3 €83.1

-5.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.54

$41.49 €36.96

-6.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$91.5 €81.5

14.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$106 €94.0

11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,512

$1,275 €1,135

33.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,191

$1,185 €1,056

12.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,398

$2,259 €2,012

19.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,850

$1,820 €1,621

14.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,524

$3,366 €2,998

50.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,997

$3,993 €3,557

-43.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.81

-16.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monaghan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Monaghan

$1.2K 49.8% 11.3% $152

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Monaghan

$337 14.2% 2.9% $9.6

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Monaghan

$290 12.2% 8.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Monaghan

$313 13.1% 35% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Monaghan

$149 6.3% 4.9% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Monaghan

$85 3.6% 15.4% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Monaghan

$23 * 1% 54.2% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,275 in Monaghan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monaghan pays 78% 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 $58 in Monaghan. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $337, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇪 Monaghan

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

01:17 1:17 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

7,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Monaghan 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Monaghan

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 Monaghan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,382 in Monaghan, so Monaghan is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,275 in Monaghan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,019 in Monaghan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monaghan – a meal for two runs $58 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Monaghan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.