Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Nantes

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantes: $1,844 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nantes
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Nantes Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Nantes

🇫🇷 France

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Nantes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,844 in Nantes.

Barcelona $2,381
Nantes $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,846 in Nantes.

Barcelona $3,406
Nantes $2,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,848 in Nantes.

Barcelona $4,431
Nantes $3,848

Living in Barcelona is roughly 29% more expensive than in Nantes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Nantes 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$16.51 €14.68

8.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$56.2 €50.0

17.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.36 €10.10

20.51%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.67 €3.26

-16.62%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.15 €2.80

-2.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.63 €1.45

19.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$8.05 €7.16

-51.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.67 €4.15

-1.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.18 €1.05

10.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.12 €3.66

-49.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.20 €2.85

-42.81%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.60 €3.20

28.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$25.86 €23.01

-32.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$12.40 €11.03

-25.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$15.81 €14.06

25.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.14 €2.79

-4.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.59 €2.30

-21.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.90 €2.58

-8.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.96 €2.64

-3.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.86 €1.65

16.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.95 €1.73

10.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.36 €1.21

8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.66 €0.59

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$14.59 €12.98

-52.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.55 €5.83

19.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.52 €3.13

-60.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.86 €2.55

-8.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.03 €1.81

43.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$61.9 €55.0

-58.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$5.64 €5.02

-46.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.74 €2.44

-47.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$36.40 €32.38

-8.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.11 €1.88

-11.85%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$34.2K €30.4K

-5.43%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$38.3K €34.1K

-17.32%

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

$183 €163

$165 €147

10.78%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$14.33 €12.75

-5.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$32.52 €28.93

1.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$28.54 €25.39

91.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$4.54 €4.04

263.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$13.32 €11.84

-15.69%

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

$954 €849

$1,084 €964

-11.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$19.4K €17.2K

-14.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$93.3 €83.0

-7.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$35.47 €31.55

10.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$92.2 €82.0

12.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$133 €118

-10.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$826 €735

105.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$665 €591

91.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,671 €1,486

54.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,244 €1,106

54.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,137 €4,570

41.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,640 €3,238

37.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,841 €2,527

-21.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.89

-15.68%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nantes: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Nantes

$665 36.1% 47.9% $611

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Nantes

$384 20.8% 18.2% $59

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Nantes

$279 15.1% 3.5% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Nantes

$212 11.5% 7.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Nantes

$159 8.6% 1.9% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Nantes

$55 3% 28.5% $22

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Nantes

$89 4.9% 88.9% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $826 in Nantes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nantes pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $56.0 in Nantes. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $384, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Nantes

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

323,204

💱 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 Nantes 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Nantes

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 Nantes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Nantes differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,844 including rent). Nantes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Nantes. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $826 in Nantes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,084 in Nantes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,844 in Nantes versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nantes but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Nantes 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 Nantes 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 Nantes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.