Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Montreal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,064 in Montreal.

Barcelona $2,453
Montreal $2,064

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,156 in Montreal.

Barcelona $3,509
Montreal $3,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,247 in Montreal.

Barcelona $4,564
Montreal $4,247

Living in Barcelona is roughly 19% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$18.98 CA$26.64

-7.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$73.0 CA$102

-7.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$10.88 CA$15.27

24.36%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.81 CA$5.35

-16.27%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.94 CA$2.72

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.58 CA$2.22

19.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$6.37 CA$8.94

-37.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$7.26 CA$10.20

-37.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.23 CA$3.13

-41.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.17 CA$4.45

-36.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.31 CA$4.64

-44.11%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.63 CA$5.09

33.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$13.16 CA$18.47

27.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$11.56 CA$16.22

-21.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$13.71 CA$19.25

43.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.29 CA$4.62

-9.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.46 CA$2.05

38.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$3.37 CA$4.73

-19.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.15 CA$4.42

-11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.89 CA$2.65

10.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.79 CA$2.52

15.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.47 CA$3.47

-40.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.58 CA$2.22

-40.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$11.28 CA$15.84

-39.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$10.49 CA$14.73

-24.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.34 CA$3.28

-39.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.91 CA$4.09

-12.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.61 CA$3.66

20.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$79.1 CA$111

-67.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.26 CA$4.57

-8.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.44 CA$2.02

3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$33.43 CA$46.92

-0.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.33 CA$1.87

35.34%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$28.6K CA$40.2K

15.93%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

50.23%

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

$180 €162

$80.1 CA$112

125.34%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$34.30 CA$48.14

-59.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$42.85 CA$60.1

-21.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$31.14 CA$43.71

65.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$19.41 CA$27.24

-17.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$11.23 CA$15.76

-2.14%

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

$917 €823

$525 CA$737

74.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.3K CA$22.9K

0.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$58.0 CA$81.4

50.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$38.11 CA$53.5

1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$93.4 CA$131

13.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$110 CA$155

8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,285 CA$1,803

32.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$977 CA$1,371

38.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,271 CA$3,187

14.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,665 CA$2,336

23.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$5,139 CA$7,212

34.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$3,834 CA$5,381

33.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$3,002 CA$4,213

-26.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.48

-26.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 27.9% $379

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Montreal

$351 17% 9.1% $29

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 8.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 31% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 14.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 27.1% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 106% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,285 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 36% 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 $73 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $351 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Montreal 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,064 in Montreal, so Montreal is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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 $1,285 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $525 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Montreal is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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