Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Msida

For one person, living is cheaper in Msida: $1,805 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Msida

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,805 in Msida.

Barcelona $2,453
Msida $1,805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,670 in Msida.

Barcelona $3,509
Msida $2,670

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,536 in Msida.

Barcelona $4,564
Msida $3,536

Living in Barcelona is roughly 36% more expensive than in Msida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Msida 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$11.29 €10.12

55.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$50.1 €44.88

34.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.72 €9.61

26.21%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.26 €2.03

41.15%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.26 €2.02

28.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.10 €0.99

71.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.60 €4.12

-12.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.45 €3.09

31.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.12 €1.00

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.35 €1.21

49.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.46 €4.00

-58.52%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.65 €2.37

82.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$8.48 €7.60

97.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.44 €9.35

-12.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$18.08 €16.20

8.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.27 €3.82

-30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.84 €2.54

-28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.69 €3.31

-26.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.32 €2.97

-15.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.21 €1.98

-5.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.90 €1.70

8.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.35 €2.10

-37.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.29 €1.15

-27.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.58 €5.89

4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.08 €7.24

-2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.71 €1.54

-17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.40 €2.15

5.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.18 €1.95

44.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.45 €4.88

-45.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.17 €1.95

-31.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$26.80 €24.02

24.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.49 €1.33

20.81%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$37.1K €33.3K

-10.56%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$39.7K €35.6K

-20.11%

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

$180 €162

$84.8 €76.0

112.80%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$25.53 €22.88

-45.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$27.62 €24.75

22.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$56.3 €50.5

-8.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.96 €8.93

10.34%

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

$917 €821

$363 €325

152.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.0K €9,813

50.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$86.0 €77.1

1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$39.84 €35.70

-3.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$98.3 €88.1

7.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$78.6 €70.4

52.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,048 €939

62.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$917 €821

47.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,823 €1,634

42.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,485 €1,330

38.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,734 €2,450

-19.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.9

13.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Msida: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Msida

$917 50.8% 32.4% $439

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Msida

$320 17.7% 0.7% $2.3

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Msida

$193 10.7% 28% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Msida

$138 7.6% 39.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Msida

$136 7.6% 13.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Msida

$76 4.2% 3.7% $2.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Msida

$25 * 1.4% 48.3% $23

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,048 in Msida. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Msida pays 24% 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 $50 in Msida for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $320 per month, with Msida cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Msida

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Msida 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Msida

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 Msida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,805 in Msida, so Msida is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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 $1,048 in Msida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $363 in Msida. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,805 in Msida – Msida is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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