Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Olbia

For one person, living is cheaper in Olbia: $1,759 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Olbia
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Olbia Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Olbia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Olbia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,759 in Olbia.

Barcelona $2,453
Olbia $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,600 in Olbia.

Barcelona $3,509
Olbia $2,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,440 in Olbia.

Barcelona $4,564
Olbia $3,440

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Olbia 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.01 €19.73

-20.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$85.1 €76.3

-20.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.96 €8.93

35.84%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.84 €1.65

73.37%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.27 €2.93

-11.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.48 €1.32

27.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.44 €3.08

16.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.37 €3.02

34.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.59 €1.42

-17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.00 €1.80

1.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.57 €2.30

-28.02%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.72 €3.33

29.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$16.23 €14.55

3.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.45 €10.26

-20.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$17.55 €15.72

11.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.25 €2.02

32.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.84 €1.65

9.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.34 €2.09

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.74 €2.46

2.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.42 €1.28

47.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.36 €1.22

52.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.55 €1.39

-5.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.39 €0.35

141.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.81 €6.10

0.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.43 €7.55

-6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.61 €1.44

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.61 €1.44

57.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.36 €1.22

130.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$16.74 €15.00

52.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$9.39 €8.41

-68.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.48 €1.33

0.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$31.14 €27.90

7.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.99 €1.79

-9.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.7K €32.0K

-7.06%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$35.0K €31.4K

-9.41%

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

$180 €162

$160 €143

13.05%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$8.90 €7.98

55.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$26.88 €24.08

25.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$36.18 €32.42

42.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$27.77 €24.88

-42.53%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.10 €9.95

-0.99%

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

$917 €821

$320 €287

186.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,200 €7,348

100.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$97.4 €87.3

-10.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$41.83 €37.48

-7.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$91.1 €81.6

16.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$116 €104

3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$882 €790

92.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$729 €653

85.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,339 €1,200

94.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$946 €848

117.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,234 €2,898

113.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,590 €2,321

97.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,909 €1,711

15.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.27

0.31%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Olbia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Olbia

$729 41.4% 46.2% $627

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Olbia

$311 17.7% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Olbia

$271 15.4% 1.2% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Olbia

$195 11.1% 14.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Olbia

$156 8.9% 1.4% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Olbia

$58 3.3% 20.6% $15

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Olbia

$39 2.2% 19.6% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $882 in Olbia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $85 in Olbia. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $311, with Olbia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Olbia

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

56,512

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Olbia 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Olbia

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 Olbia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,759 in Olbia, so Olbia is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $882 in Olbia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $320 in Olbia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,759 in Olbia versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Olbia but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Olbia 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 Olbia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Olbia wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.