Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mons

For one person, living is cheaper in Mons: $1,893 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Mons
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Mons Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Mons

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,893

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mons

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,893 in Mons.

Barcelona $2,399
Mons $1,893

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,798 in Mons.

Barcelona $3,410
Mons $2,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,704 in Mons.

Barcelona $4,421
Mons $3,704

Living in Barcelona is roughly 27% more expensive than in Mons, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Mons 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$17.03 €15.15

5.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$82.4 €73.3

-17.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$10.05 €8.94

32.14%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.51 €2.23

29.48%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.74 €2.44

9.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.70 €1.51

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.87 €3.44

-0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.30 €3.83

4.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.16 €1.03

11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.20 €1.96

-7.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.20 €1.96

-21.82%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.10 €3.64

16.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$18.83 €16.75

-10.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$12.42 €11.05

-28.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$19.48 €17.33

2.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.73 €2.43

9.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.36 €2.10

-13.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.60 €2.31

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.79 €2.48

-3.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.13 €1.89

-1.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.16 €1.03

79.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.31 €1.17

10.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.07 €0.95

-16.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$9.66 €8.59

-28.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$5.65 €5.02

37.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.90 €1.69

-23.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.81 €1.61

41.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.04 €2.71

-1.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$41.67 €37.06

-39.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$10.95 €9.74

-71.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.85 €2.54

-49.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$25.21 €22.42

32.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.83 €1.63

-2.19%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.7K €31.7K

-2.97%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$33.5K €29.8K

-10.18%

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

$178 €158

$223 €198

-20.27%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$20.52 €18.25

-35.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$45.91 €40.84

-24.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$26.32 €23.41

102.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$18.37 €16.34

-12.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$12.18 €10.84

-9.20%

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

$957 €851

$552 €491

73.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$21.0K €18.7K

-21.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$106 €94.7

-17.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$46.28 €41.17

-14.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$108 €96.3

-5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$147 €131

-17.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$686 €610

140.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$709 €630

83.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,031 €917

148.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$996 €886

92.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$4,094 €3,641

77.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$2,906 €2,585

74.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,796 €2,487

-18.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.2

2.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mons: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Mons

$709 37.4% 45.6% $593

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Mons

$339 17.9% 6% $19

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Mons

$242 12.8% 10.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Mons

$290 15.3% 28.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Mons

$184 9.7% 15.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Mons

$51 2.7% 32.7% $25

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Mons

$79 4.2% 66.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $686 in Mons. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mons pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $82.0 in Mons for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $339 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇪 Mons

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

92,721

💱 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 Mons 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mons

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 Mons: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Mons differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,893 including rent). Mons is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Mons. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $686 in Mons. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $552 in Mons. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,893 in Mons versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mons but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mons 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 Mons 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 Mons gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.