Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Pescara

For one person, living is cheaper in Pescara: $1,922 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Pescara
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Pescara Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Pescara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Pescara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,922 in Pescara.

Barcelona $2,381
Pescara $1,922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,863 in Pescara.

Barcelona $3,406
Pescara $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,803 in Pescara.

Barcelona $4,431
Pescara $3,803

Living in Barcelona is roughly 24% more expensive than in Pescara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Pescara 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$22.13 €19.69

-19.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$67.8 €60.3

-2.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.20 €9.96

22.23%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.60 €2.32

17.69%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.06 €2.72

0.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.42 €1.27

36.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.77 €5.14

-32.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.41 €3.92

4.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.77 €1.58

-26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.72 €1.53

22.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.73 €2.43

-32.97%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$5.48 €4.87

-15.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$22.04 €19.60

-21.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$17.13 €15.24

-45.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$26.75 €23.80

-25.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.71 €2.41

11.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.25 €2.00

-9.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.89 €2.57

-8.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.00 €2.67

-4.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.96 €1.75

10.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.01 €1.79

6.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$3.07 €2.73

-52.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.61 €0.54

44.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$6.88 €6.12

0.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.33 €7.41

-6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.96 €1.75

-29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.45 €2.18

7.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.26 €2.01

28.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$45.40 €40.38

-43.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$6.87 €6.11

-56.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.67 €1.48

-13.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$22.27 €19.81

49.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.02 €1.80

-7.92%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$35.9K €31.9K

-9.83%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$35.1K €31.2K

-9.75%

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

$183 €163

$240 €213

-23.79%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$13.99 €12.44

-2.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$36.37 €32.35

-9.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$57.6 €51.3

-5.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$26.02 €23.14

-36.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.14 €8.13

22.87%

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

$954 €849

$556 €495

71.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$109 €96.8

-20.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$37.50 €33.36

4.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$121 €108

-14.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$133 €118

-10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$772 €687

119.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$594 €529

114.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,121 €997

129.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$845 €751

127.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,279 €2,917

122.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,838 €1,635

172.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,658 €1,474

34.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.13

4.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Pescara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Pescara

$594 30.9% 53.4% $682

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Pescara

$414 21.6% 27.4% $89

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Pescara

$298 15.5% 10.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Pescara

$290 15.1% 26.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Pescara

$180 9.4% 15.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Pescara

$76 4% 1.6% $1.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Pescara

$70 3.6% 47.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $772 in Pescara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 34% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $68.0 in Pescara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $414 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Pescara

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

116,286

💱 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 Pescara 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Pescara

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 Pescara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Pescara differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,922 including rent). Pescara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $772 in Pescara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $556 in Pescara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,922 in Pescara versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pescara but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Pescara 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 Pescara 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 Pescara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.