Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Prato

For one person, living is cheaper in Prato: $1,896 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Prato
Learn more

Prato Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Prato

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Prato

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,896 in Prato.

Barcelona $2,399
Prato $1,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,806 in Prato.

Barcelona $3,410
Prato $2,806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,716 in Prato.

Barcelona $4,421
Prato $3,716

Living in Barcelona is roughly 27% more expensive than in Prato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Prato 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$24.11 €21.44

-25.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$76.8 €68.3

-11.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$11.63 €10.34

14.19%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$1.84 €1.64

76.63%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.98 €2.65

1.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.50 €1.34

24.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$6.79 €6.04

-43.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.52 €4.91

-18.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.59 €1.42

-18.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.20 €1.95

-7.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.93 €2.61

-41.30%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.59 €4.08

3.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$20.28 €18.04

-17.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$12.31 €10.95

-27.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$19.14 €17.02

3.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.47 €2.20

20.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.35 €2.09

-13.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.38 €3.00

-19.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.21 €2.85

-16.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.31 €2.06

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.66 €1.47

25.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.24 €1.10

16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.36 €0.32

147.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.39 €5.68

8.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$8.16 €7.26

-4.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.95 €1.73

-25.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.12 €2.77

-17.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.19 €1.95

36.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$38.28 €34.05

-34.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.67 €3.26

-14.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.26 €1.12

14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$30.90 €27.49

8.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.98 €1.76

-9.60%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$28.5K €25.3K

21.57%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$35.0K €31.2K

-14.18%

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

$178 €158

$288 €256

-38.27%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$11.55 €10.27

15.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$29.39 €26.15

18.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$42.61 €37.90

24.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.54 €10.27

-4.16%

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

$957 €851

$383 €341

149.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$16.9K €15.0K

-1.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$97.6 €86.8

-9.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$36.24 €32.24

8.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$99.8 €88.8

3.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$148 €132

-18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$747 €665

121.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$604 €537

115.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,046 €931

144.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$879 €782

117.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,215 €2,860

126.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$2,092 €1,861

142.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,098 €1,866

8.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.16

3.80%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Prato: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Prato

$604 31.8% 53.6% $698

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Prato

$356 18.8% 11.1% $35

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Prato

$313 16.5% 15.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Prato

$329 17.4% 45.5% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Prato

$172 9.1% 8.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Prato

$66 3.5% 12.8% $9.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Prato

$57 3% 20.1% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $747 in Prato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 9% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $77.0 in Prato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $356 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Prato

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

191,150

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Prato 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Prato

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 Prato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Prato differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,896 including rent). Prato is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $747 in Prato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $383 in Prato. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,896 in Prato versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Prato but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Prato 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 Prato 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 Prato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.