Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca

For one person, living is cheaper in Palma de Mallorca: $2,357 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Palma de Mallorca
Learn more

Palma de Mallorca Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Palma de Mallorca

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,357

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Palma de Mallorca

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 Palma de Mallorca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,357 in Palma de Mallorca.

Barcelona $2,453
Palma de Mallorca $2,357

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,467 in Palma de Mallorca.

Barcelona $3,509
Palma de Mallorca $3,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,577 in Palma de Mallorca.

Barcelona $4,564
Palma de Mallorca $4,577

Living in Barcelona is roughly 4% more expensive than in Palma de Mallorca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Palma de Mallorca 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$18.38 €16.40

-4.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$66.2 €59.0

2.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$13.58 €12.12

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$3.12 €2.78

2.24%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.60 €2.32

11.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.72 €2.43

-30.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$4.34 €3.87

-7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$3.97 €3.54

14.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.36 €1.21

-3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.18 €1.05

71.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.63 €1.45

13.50%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.50 €3.12

38.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$14.70 €13.11

13.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$8.90 €7.94

2.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$15.78 €14.08

24.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.44 €2.18

22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.04 €1.82

-0.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.70 €1.52

58.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.78 €2.48

0.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.95 €1.74

7.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.16 €1.92

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.27 €1.14

14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.64 €0.57

46.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$6.73 €6.00

2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$5.43 €4.85

45.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.31 €1.17

7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.91 €1.71

32.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$2.21 €1.98

42.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$41.10 €36.67

-38.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$4.96 €4.43

-39.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.37 €1.22

8.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$23.84 €21.27

39.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.80 €1.61

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$32.1K €28.6K

3.50%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$32.1K €28.6K

-1.23%

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

$180 €161

$244 €218

-26.17%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$23.37 €20.85

-40.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$42.15 €37.61

-20.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$60.7 €54.1

-15.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$26.93 €24.03

-40.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$9.52 €8.49

15.44%

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

$917 €818

$608 €542

50.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$10.7K €9,562

53.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$70.7 €63.1

23.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$54.7 €48.76

-29.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$100.0 €89.2

5.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$129 €115

-7.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,614 €1,440

5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$1,199 €1,070

13.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$2,601 €2,320

0.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$2,041 €1,821

1.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$7,165 €6,393

-3.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$4,158 €3,710

23.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$2,011 €1,794

9.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.07

6.84%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Palma de Mallorca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Palma de Mallorca

$1.2K 50.9% 11.5% $156

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Palma de Mallorca

$271 11.5% 15.8% $51

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Palma de Mallorca

$276 11.7% 3.1% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Palma de Mallorca

$310 13.2% 35.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Palma de Mallorca

$159 6.8% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Palma de Mallorca

$80 3.4% 8.4% $6.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Palma de Mallorca

$62 2.6% 27.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,614 in Palma de Mallorca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $66 in Palma de Mallorca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $271 per month, with Palma de Mallorca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Palma de Mallorca

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

423,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Palma de Mallorca 210 km

From you

Barcelona
Palma de Mallorca

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 Palma de Mallorca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,357 in Palma de Mallorca, so Palma de Mallorca is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% 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 $1,614 in Palma de Mallorca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $608 in Palma de Mallorca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 38% less than in Palma de Mallorca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Palma de Mallorca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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