Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rethymno

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,358 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rethymno

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,358 in Rethymno.

Barcelona $2,453
Rethymno $1,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,031 in Rethymno.

Barcelona $3,509
Rethymno $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,703 in Rethymno.

Barcelona $4,564
Rethymno $2,703

Living in Barcelona is roughly 81% more expensive than in Rethymno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$12.69 €11.38

38.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$56.1 €50.2

20.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.25 €9.18

32.00%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.54 €3.18

-9.89%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.67 €1.50

74.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.58 €0.52

225.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.54 €4.07

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.25 €4.70

-13.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.58 €1.42

-17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.21 €1.08

66.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.26 €2.03

-18.14%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.48 €4.01

7.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$15.17 €13.60

10.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.68 €8.67

-5.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$15.43 €13.83

27.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.99 €1.79

49.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.99 €1.78

1.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.24 €1.11

117.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.70 €1.52

64.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.96 €0.86

117.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.01 €0.90

104.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.69 €0.62

111.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.74 €0.66

27.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$4.38 €3.93

56.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.89 €6.18

14.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.81 €1.62

-22.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.82 €1.64

39.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.81 €1.62

73.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.58 €4.10

-34.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.14 €1.02

30.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$11.38 €10.20

193.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.21 €1.98

-18.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$22.4K €20.1K

48.16%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$24.5K €22.0K

29.28%

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

$180 €162

$191 €171

-5.42%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$18.37 €16.46

-24.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$31.03 €27.81

8.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$61.2 €54.8

-15.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.46 €7.58

29.91%

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

$917 €821

$366 €328

150.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,964 €3,552

315.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$88.2 €79.0

-1.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$11.04 €9.89

248.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$44.52 €39.89

137.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$44.41 €39.80

169.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$548 €491

210.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$447 €401

203.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$913 €818

185.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$700 €627

194.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,172 €3,738

65.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,963 €2,655

73.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,201 €1,076

84.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.3

-23.72%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rethymno: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Rethymno

$447 32.9% 67% $908

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Rethymno

$273 20.1% 15% $48

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Rethymno

$217 16% 19% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Rethymno

$240 17.7% 5.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Rethymno

$85 6.2% 46.4% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Rethymno

$78 5.8% 6.2% $4.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Rethymno

$18 * 1.3% 63.9% $31

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 $548 in Rethymno. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 84% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $56 in Rethymno for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $273 per month, with Rethymno cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

35,763

💱 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 Rethymno 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Rethymno

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 Rethymno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,358 in Rethymno, so Rethymno is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 84% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $548 in Rethymno. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $366 in Rethymno. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rethymno – a meal for two runs $56 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,358 in Rethymno versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rethymno but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rethymno 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 Rethymno are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Rethymno wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.