Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Reims

For one person, living is cheaper in Reims: $1,829 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Reims
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Reims Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Reims

🇫🇷 France

$1,829

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Reims

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,814 in Reims.

Barcelona $2,399
Reims $1,814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,696 in Reims.

Barcelona $3,410
Reims $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,577 in Reims.

Barcelona $4,421
Reims $3,577

Living in Barcelona is roughly 32% more expensive than in Reims, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Reims 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$19.26 €17.13

-7.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$67.4 €59.9

-1.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.68 €12.17

0.07%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.33 €2.96

-8.11%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.53 €3.14

-13.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.98 €2.65

-34.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$7.17 €6.38

-46.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.77 €6.02

-31.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.36 €1.21

-4.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.11 €0.99

89.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.17 €1.93

-15.67%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.57 €3.18

29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$33.06 €29.41

-47.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.85 €7.87

4.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.34 €12.76

38.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.87 €2.55

4.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.19 €1.95

-7.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.50 €2.22

6.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.62 €4.11

-37.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.91 €1.70

13.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.45 €1.29

48.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.24 €1.11

18.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.16 €1.04

-24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$13.40 €11.92

-48.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$9.15 €8.14

-14.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.28 €2.03

-39.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.26 €2.01

16.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.22 €1.98

31.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$44.64 €39.71

-42.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$8.95 €7.96

-66.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.25 €1.11

15.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$33.48 €29.78

-0.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.06 €1.83

-9.71%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$34.1K €30.3K

-5.06%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$36.8K €32.7K

-13.84%

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

$183 €163

$212 €188

-13.70%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$28.83 €25.65

-52.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$39.37 €35.02

-16.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$36.09 €32.10

51.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$10.79 €9.60

53.10%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$12.06 €10.73

-6.88%

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

$954 €849

$682 €607

39.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$9,900 €8,806

67.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$85.4 €75.9

0.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$40.01 €35.58

-2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$91.5 €81.4

13.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$106 €94.2

11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$670 €596

153.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$607 €540

110.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,244 €1,107

107.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$896 €797

114.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,274 €4,691

38.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,730 €3,317

34.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,633 €1,453

36.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.67

-10.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Reims: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Reims

$607 33.2% 52.4% $669

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Reims

$356 19.5% 9.7% $31

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Reims

$310 17% 15.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Reims

$280 15.3% 22.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Reims

$145 7.9% 7.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Reims

$60 3.3% 22% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Reims

$69 3.8% 45.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $672 in Reims. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 42% 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 $68.0 in Reims for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $354 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Reims

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

179,380

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Reims 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Reims

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 Reims: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Reims differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,814 including rent). Reims is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $672 in Reims. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $664 in Reims. 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 $1,814 in Reims versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Reims but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Reims 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 Reims 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 Reims gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.