Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Qrendi

For one person, living is cheaper in Qrendi: $2,087 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Qrendi
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Qrendi Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Qrendi

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,087

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Qrendi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,087 in Qrendi.

Barcelona $2,453
Qrendi $2,087

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,037 in Qrendi.

Barcelona $3,509
Qrendi $3,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,987 in Qrendi.

Barcelona $4,564
Qrendi $3,987

Living in Barcelona is roughly 18% more expensive than in Qrendi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Qrendi 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$19.32 €17.24

-8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$88.1 €78.6

-23.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$13.56 €12.10

-0.22%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.65 €2.37

20.38%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$3.05 €2.72

-4.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.22 €1.98

-14.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$4.44 €3.96

-9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$5.19 €4.63

-12.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.34 €1.20

-2.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.34 €1.20

50.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$4.45 €3.97

-58.43%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.34 €3.87

11.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$8.22 €7.33

103.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$10.36 €9.24

-11.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$18.00 €16.06

9.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$4.15 €3.70

-28.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.73 €2.44

-26.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$3.68 €3.29

-26.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.42 €3.05

-18.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.21 €1.97

-5.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.86 €1.66

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.38 €2.13

-38.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.35 €1.20

-30.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$6.75 €6.02

1.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$8.25 €7.36

-4.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.63 €1.45

-13.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.43 €2.17

4.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$2.14 €1.91

46.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$5.62 €5.01

-46.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.19 €1.96

-31.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$26.73 €23.85

24.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.47 €1.31

22.45%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$38.3K €34.2K

-13.41%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$38.9K €34.7K

-18.47%

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

$180 €161

$101 €89.9

79.14%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$25.62 €22.85

-45.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$43.34 €38.67

-22.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$54.9 €48.93

-6.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$10.24 €9.14

7.32%

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

$917 €818

$373 €333

145.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$11.0K €9,776

50.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$86.3 €77.0

0.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$40.24 €35.90

-4.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$97.9 €87.3

8.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$79.7 €71.1

50.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,289 €1,150

31.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$1,072 €957

26.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,748 €1,559

48.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,508 €1,346

36.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$3,587 €3,200

92.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,805 €2,503

82.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.9

13.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Qrendi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Qrendi

$1.1K 51.4% 20.9% $283

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Qrendi

$327 15.7% 1.6% $5.1

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Qrendi

$281 13.5% 4.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Qrendi

$170 8.1% 25.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Qrendi

$137 6.6% 13.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Qrendi

$75 3.6% 2.5% $1.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Qrendi

$25 * 1.2% 48.2% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,289 in Qrendi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $88 in Qrendi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $327 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Qrendi

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,800

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Qrendi 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Qrendi

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 Qrendi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,087 in Qrendi, so Qrendi is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $3,130 in Qrendi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,289 in Qrendi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $373 in Qrendi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $2,087 in Qrendi – Qrendi is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Qrendi 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 Qrendi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.