Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Rome: $1,998 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rome

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,998 in Rome.

Barcelona $2,399
Rome $1,998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,117 in Rome.

Barcelona $3,410
Rome $3,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,236 in Rome.

Barcelona $4,421
Rome $4,236

Living in Barcelona is roughly 20% more expensive than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Rome 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$16.69 €14.84

7.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$65.8 €58.5

3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$11.08 €9.85

19.86%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.10 €1.87

54.76%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.91 €2.59

3.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.48 €1.32

26.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.62 €5.00

-31.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$6.68 €5.94

-32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.72 €1.53

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.27 €2.02

-10.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.99 €2.66

-42.47%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.75 €4.23

0.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$14.53 €12.92

15.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$12.63 €11.24

-29.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$19.86 €17.67

0.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.64 €2.35

12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.28 €2.03

-10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.46 €2.19

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.42 €2.15

10.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.38 €1.22

52.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.55 €1.38

34.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.32 €1.17

9.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.55 €0.49

61.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$7.31 €6.50

-5.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$5.44 €4.84

43.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.58 €1.40

-8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.62 €2.33

-1.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.63 €1.45

83.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$39.26 €34.92

-35.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$6.51 €5.79

-52.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.68 €1.50

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$33.24 €29.57

0.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.17 €1.93

-17.51%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.3K €31.4K

-2.03%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$35.4K €31.5K

-15.12%

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

$178 €158

$203 €181

-12.37%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$11.50 €10.22

15.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$32.03 €28.49

8.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$65.9 €58.6

-19.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$22.89 €20.36

-30.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.23 €9.99

-1.51%

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

$957 €851

$484 €430

97.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$16.5K €14.7K

0.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$71.0 €63.1

24.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$36.51 €32.47

8.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$84.9 €75.5

21.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$122 €108

-0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,222 €1,087

35.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$881 €784

47.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,537 €2,257

0.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,721 €1,530

11.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$8,274 €7,360

-11.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,084 €2,743

64.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,942 €1,728

17.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.52

-6.82%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Rome

$881 44.1% 32.3% $420

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Rome

$329 16.5% 2.8% $9.1

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Rome

$251 12.6% 7.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Rome

$246 12.3% 9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Rome

$141 7.1% 10.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Rome

$88 4.4% 17.2% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Rome

$61 3% 27.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,222 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 17% 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 $66.0 in Rome. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $329, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Rome 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Rome differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,998 including rent). Rome is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $1,222 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $484 in Rome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,998 in Rome versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rome but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rome 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 Rome 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 Rome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.