Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Osaka: $1,400 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Osaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,400 in Osaka.

Barcelona $2,405
Osaka $1,400

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $1,991 in Osaka.

Barcelona $3,477
Osaka $1,991

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $2,582 in Osaka.

Barcelona $4,550
Osaka $2,582

Living in Barcelona is roughly 72% more expensive than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Osaka 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$6.19 ¥979

190.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$31.80 ¥5,032

112.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$4.93 ¥781

171.20%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$3.00 ¥474

11.33%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.45 ¥229

103.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.72 ¥113

163.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$2.62 ¥415

48.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$3.91 ¥618

16.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.46 ¥230

-13.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.31 ¥207

49.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$5.25 ¥831

-66.67%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.03 ¥321

140.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$9.77 ¥1,545

78.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$9.22 ¥1,460

-1.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$17.95 ¥2,841

12.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.29 ¥520

-6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.00 ¥317

1.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.11 ¥334

23.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$4.11 ¥650

-34.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.51 ¥239

42.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.19 ¥188

85.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.30 ¥206

18.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.86 ¥137

8.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$3.82 ¥604

85.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$9.74 ¥1,542

-21.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.87 ¥296

-20.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.15 ¥499

-13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.34 ¥212

120.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$32.68 ¥5,171

-20.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$3.85 ¥610

-18.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.19 ¥505

-54.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$21.93 ¥3,470

55.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.10 ¥173

62.73%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

61.25%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

100.21%

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

$181 €161

$140 ¥22.2K

28.98%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$24.14 ¥3,821

-43.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$30.58 ¥4,840

14.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$49.41 ¥7,819

7.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$18.41 ¥2,914

-12.82%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$12.27 ¥1,941

-7.33%

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

$939 €838

$511 ¥80.9K

83.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$13.1K ¥2.1M

26.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$47.50 ¥7,517

85.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$30.12 ¥4,767

32.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$73.4 ¥11.6K

40.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$91.0 ¥14.4K

31.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$704 ¥111.3K

140.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$508 ¥80.4K

156.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,751 ¥277.2K

47.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$765 ¥121.1K

153.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$6,208 ¥982.3K

20.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$1,938 ¥306.7K

168.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$2,346 ¥371.2K

-1.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.21

48.42%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Osaka

$508 36.9% 61% $793

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Osaka

$301 21.9% 7.3% $24

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Osaka

$130 9.5% 52.3% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Osaka

$195 14.2% 15.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Osaka

$109 7.9% 31% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 2.6% $2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 20.2% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $704 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $32.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $301 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

14:11 2:11 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Osaka 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Osaka

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 Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Osaka differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,400 including rent). Osaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Osaka. 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 $704 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $511 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,400 in Osaka versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Osaka but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Osaka 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 Osaka 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 Osaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.