Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Morioka

For one person, living is cheaper in Morioka: $1,189 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Morioka, Japan
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Morioka
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,189
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Morioka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,189 in Morioka.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Morioka $1,189

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,898 in Morioka.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Morioka $1,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,607 in Morioka.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Morioka $2,607

Living in Barcelona is roughly 106% more expensive than in Morioka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Morioka is 13% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Morioka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.80
$6.22 ¥982
182.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.6
$32.27 ¥5,094
109.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.15
$5.15 ¥813
162.72%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.87
$3.06 ¥482
4.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.62
$1.14 ¥180
155.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$0.80 ¥127
136.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.60
$2.63 ¥415
52.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.07
$3.23 ¥511
40.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Morioka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.47 ¥232
-10.88%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.54 ¥243
31.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$4.08 ¥644
-54.66%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.34
$2.13 ¥336
126.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.03
$9.94 ¥1,569
68.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.19
$7.45 ¥1,176
22.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.64
$16.63 ¥2,626
18.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.68
$4.03 ¥636
-26.05%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$2.08 ¥328
-2.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.43
$3.03 ¥479
-10.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.52
$4.77 ¥752
-41.30%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$2.78 ¥438
-24.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.86
$2.73 ¥431
-24.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.33 ¥210
9.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.91 ¥144
3.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.17
$3.57 ¥564
92.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.08
$6.82 ¥1,077
15.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.67 ¥264
-15.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.28
$2.39 ¥378
6.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Morioka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$1.47 ¥232
113.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.86
$57.6 ¥9,086
-55.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.69
$3.24 ¥511
-7.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$3.11 ¥491
-52.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.98
$19.05 ¥3,008
75.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.06 ¥168
69.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.8K
$19.0K ¥3.0M
74.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.5K
$15.5K ¥2.4M
104.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Morioka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$137 ¥21.6K
31.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.43
$23.86 ¥3,768
-41.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.27
$31.17 ¥4,921
8.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Morioka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.27
$50.5 ¥7,975
1.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.34
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.88
$13.62 ¥2,151
-19.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Morioka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €823
$759 ¥119.8K
20.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$13.5K ¥2.1M
22.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Morioka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.2
$43.09 ¥6,803
101.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.59
$31.59 ¥4,987
21.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €95.1
$69.6 ¥11.0K
52.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €108
$102 ¥16.1K
17.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Morioka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,527
$626 ¥98.9K
171.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,217
$300 ¥47.3K
352.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,338
$916 ¥144.7K
184.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,853
$706 ¥111.5K
191.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,211
$4,709 ¥743.5K
46.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,606
$2,118 ¥334.4K
142.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Morioka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,986
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
2.21
48.42%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Morioka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Morioka
$300 77.9% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Morioka
$297 7.6% $25
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Morioka
$129 51.7% $139
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Morioka
$192 15.8% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Morioka
$111 29.9% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Morioka
$78 5.8% $4.3
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Morioka
$82 69.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $626 in Morioka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $32 in Morioka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $297 per month, with Morioka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇯🇵 Morioka
🕒 Local time
21:48 9:48 PM
05:48 5:48 AM
8 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
289,731
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Morioka 10,090 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Morioka

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 Morioka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Morioka?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,189 in Morioka, so Morioka is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Morioka?
You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,783 in Morioka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Morioka?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $626 in Morioka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Morioka?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $759 in Morioka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,189 in Morioka versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Morioka but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Morioka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Morioka?
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.
Is Barcelona or Morioka safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Morioka are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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