Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mulhouse

For one person, living is cheaper in Mulhouse: $1,765 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Mulhouse
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Mulhouse Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Mulhouse

🇫🇷 France

$1,765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mulhouse

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,765 in Mulhouse.

Barcelona $2,453
Mulhouse $1,765

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,829 in Mulhouse.

Barcelona $3,509
Mulhouse $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,892 in Mulhouse.

Barcelona $4,564
Mulhouse $3,892

Living in Barcelona is roughly 39% more expensive than in Mulhouse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Mulhouse 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.76 €20.39

-22.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$76.2 €68.3

-11.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.39 €10.20

18.79%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.39 €3.04

-5.90%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.11 €2.79

-6.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.98 €1.77

-4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.38 €3.92

-8.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.90 €3.49

16.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.32 €1.19

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.18 €1.95

-7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.51 €2.25

-26.29%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.86 €3.46

25.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.43 €12.03

24.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.45 €12.05

-32.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$20.97 €18.79

-6.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.58 €3.21

-16.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.28 €2.04

-11.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.55 €4.08

-40.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$6.10 €5.46

-54.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.19 €2.86

-34.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.21 €1.98

-6.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.91 €1.71

-23.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.98 €0.88

-4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$12.27 €11.00

-44.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.75 €6.94

1.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.06 €2.75

-53.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.44 €3.08

-26.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.83 €1.64

71.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$49.43 €44.30

-48.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.42 €3.07

-12.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.38 €3.03

-55.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$27.73 €24.85

20.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.98 €1.77

-9.09%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$36.0K €32.2K

-7.70%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.5K €33.6K

-15.43%

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

$180 €162

$245 €220

-26.41%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$31.98 €28.65

-56.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$32.47 €29.10

3.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$43.12 €38.64

19.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$45.45 €40.73

-64.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.79 €10.57

-6.79%

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

$917 €821

$710 €637

29.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,415 €7,541

95.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$65.0 €58.3

33.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$38.76 €34.73

-0.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$88.9 €79.7

19.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$138 €123

-13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$581 €521

192.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$474 €425

185.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,158 €1,037

124.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$976 €874

111.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,377 €2,130

190.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,648 €1,477

211.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,164 €1,940

2.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.56

-7.87%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mulhouse: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Mulhouse

$474 26.9% 65% $881

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Mulhouse

$382 21.7% 18.8% $60

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Mulhouse

$307 17.4% 14.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Mulhouse

$310 17.5% 35.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Mulhouse

$149 8.4% 5.9% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Mulhouse

$67 3.8% 9.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Mulhouse

$77 4.4% 59% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $581 in Mulhouse. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $76 in Mulhouse for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $382 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Mulhouse

🕒 Local time

01:57 1:57 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

106,341

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Mulhouse 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mulhouse

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 Mulhouse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,765 in Mulhouse, so Mulhouse is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,648 in Mulhouse 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $581 in Mulhouse. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $710 in Mulhouse. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,765 in Mulhouse versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mulhouse but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mulhouse 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 Mulhouse are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.