Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Quebec City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,935 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Quebec City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,935 in Quebec City.

Barcelona $2,453
Quebec City $1,935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,912 in Quebec City.

Barcelona $3,509
Quebec City $2,912

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,889 in Quebec City.

Barcelona $4,564
Quebec City $3,889

Living in Barcelona is roughly 27% more expensive than in Quebec City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Quebec City 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$21.22 CA$29.65

-17.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$63.9 CA$89.3

5.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.75 CA$15.03

25.86%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.83 CA$5.35

-16.71%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.13 CA$2.97

36.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.50 CA$2.09

26.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.68 CA$7.94

-29.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.88 CA$8.21

-22.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.06 CA$2.88

-36.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.89 CA$4.04

-30.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.14 CA$5.79

-55.31%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.15 CA$4.40

53.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$9.13 CA$12.76

83.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.99 CA$15.35

-17.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$10.62 CA$14.84

84.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.17 CA$5.82

-28.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.55 CA$2.17

30.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.71 CA$5.19

-27.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.04 CA$5.64

-30.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.93 CA$4.10

-28.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.86 CA$3.99

-27.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.73 CA$3.81

-46.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.52 CA$2.12

-38.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$14.78 CA$20.65

-53.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$11.35 CA$15.87

-30.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.24 CA$4.52

-56.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.44 CA$4.81

-26.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.91 CA$4.06

7.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$70.6 CA$98.7

-63.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.89 CA$4.04

3.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.48 CA$2.07

0.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$35.46 CA$49.54

-5.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.30 CA$1.81

38.46%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.7K CA$40.1K

15.61%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$22.2K CA$31.0K

42.98%

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

$180 €162

$100 CA$140

80.07%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$32.19 CA$44.98

-57.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$45.61 CA$63.7

-26.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$33.12 CA$46.27

55.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$12.66 CA$17.69

26.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.56 CA$14.75

4.07%

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

$917 €821

$676 CA$945

35.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$9,492 CA$13.3K

73.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$59.3 CA$82.9

46.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$50.9 CA$71.2

-24.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$89.8 CA$126

17.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$109 CA$152

10.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,029 CA$1,437

65.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$821 CA$1,147

65.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,633 CA$2,281

59.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,333 CA$1,862

54.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$4,733 CA$6,614

46.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,728 CA$3,812

87.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,906 CA$4,061

-23.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.44

-26.13%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Quebec City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Quebec City

$821 42.4% 39.4% $534

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Quebec City

$347 18% 8% $26

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Quebec City

$303 15.6% 12.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Quebec City

$178 9.2% 21.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Quebec City

$139 7.2% 12% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Quebec City

$54 2.8% 26.2% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Quebec City

$93 4.8% 90.9% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,029 in Quebec City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quebec City pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $64 in Quebec City. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $347, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

530,168

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Quebec City 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Quebec City

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 Quebec City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,935 in Quebec City, so Quebec City is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,029 in Quebec City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $676 in Quebec City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.