Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Orleans

For one person, living is cheaper in Orleans: $1,577 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Orleans
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Orleans Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Orleans

🇫🇷 France

$1,577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Orleans

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,577 in Orleans.

Barcelona $2,453
Orleans $1,577

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,381 in Orleans.

Barcelona $3,509
Orleans $2,381

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,186 in Orleans.

Barcelona $4,564
Orleans $3,186

Living in Barcelona is roughly 56% more expensive than in Orleans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Orleans 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$16.87 €15.11

4.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$54.9 €49.12

23.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.32 €10.14

19.52%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.81 €2.52

13.52%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.90 €2.60

0.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.43 €1.28

32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.63 €5.04

-28.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.51 €5.83

-30.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.10 €0.99

19.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.07 €0.96

88.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.17 €1.94

-14.75%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.63 €3.25

33.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$12.59 €11.27

32.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.18 €8.22

-0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$19.23 €17.23

2.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.19 €1.96

36.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.27 €2.04

-11.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.46 €2.21

9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.22 €1.99

26.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.10 €0.98

90.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.09 €0.98

89.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.14 €1.02

28.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.10 €0.99

-14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$14.80 €13.26

-53.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$6.47 €5.79

21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.22 €1.99

-36.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.33 €2.98

-23.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.05 €1.84

53.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$52.4 €46.94

-51.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.89 €7.96

-66.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.25 €1.12

19.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$22.54 €20.19

48.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.05 €1.83

-12.20%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.4K €25.4K

17.03%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$35.8K €32.0K

-11.37%

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

$180 €162

$179 €160

0.70%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$23.17 €20.75

-40.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$27.72 €24.83

21.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$30.95 €27.72

66.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$7.89 €7.06

102.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.85 €12.41

-20.65%

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

$917 €821

$912 €817

0.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,561 €3,189

362.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$77.5 €69.4

12.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$40.48 €36.25

-4.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$95.4 €85.4

10.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$106 €95.2

12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$776 €695

118.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$521 €467

159.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,066 €955

144.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$861 €771

139.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,721 €2,437

154.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,047 €1,833

150.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,221 €2,884

-31.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.81

-13.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Orleans: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Orleans

$521 33.1% 61.5% $834

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Orleans

$286 18.1% 11.2% $36

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Orleans

$261 16.6% 2.5% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Orleans

$230 14.6% 0.9% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Orleans

$144 9.1% 9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Orleans

$59 3.7% 20.2% $15

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Orleans

$76 4.8% 56.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $776 in Orleans. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Orleans pays 46% 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 $55 in Orleans for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $286 per month, with Orleans cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Orleans

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

116,617

💱 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 Orleans 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Orleans

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 Orleans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,577 in Orleans, so Orleans is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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 $776 in Orleans. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $912 in Orleans. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Orleans is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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