Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Roquetas de Mar

For one person, living is cheaper in Roquetas de Mar: $1,431 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Roquetas de Mar
Learn more

Roquetas de Mar Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Roquetas de Mar

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,431

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Roquetas de Mar

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 Roquetas de Mar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar.

Barcelona $2,453
Roquetas de Mar $1,431

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,071 in Roquetas de Mar.

Barcelona $3,509
Roquetas de Mar $2,071

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,710 in Roquetas de Mar.

Barcelona $4,564
Roquetas de Mar $2,710

Living in Barcelona is roughly 71% more expensive than in Roquetas de Mar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Roquetas de Mar 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$16.60 €14.86

5.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$55.4 €49.60

21.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.43 €9.34

29.72%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$1.96 €1.76

62.76%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.77 €2.48

5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.71 €1.53

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.22 €3.78

-4.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.26 €1.13

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.62 €1.45

24.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.84 €1.64

0.54%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.64 €3.26

32.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$15.80 €14.15

5.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.21 €8.25

-0.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$13.36 €11.97

47.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.63 €2.35

13.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.81 €1.62

11.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.56 €1.39

73.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.38 €2.13

17.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.92 €1.72

8.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.97 €1.76

5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.32 €1.18

10.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.70 €0.63

34.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.27 €5.62

9.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$5.34 €4.78

47.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.10 €0.99

28.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.71 €1.53

48.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.95 €0.85

230.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$33.93 €30.39

-24.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$7.87 €7.05

-62.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.22 €1.10

22.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$18.04 €16.16

84.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.88 €1.69

-4.26%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.7K €31.0K

-4.25%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$31.5K €28.2K

0.71%

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

$180 €162

$134 €120

34.93%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$15.92 €14.26

-13.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$26.37 €23.61

27.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$36.37 €32.58

41.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.62 €7.72

27.49%

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

$917 €821

$397 €356

130.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$10.5K €9,445

56.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$73.0 €65.4

19.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$35.21 €31.54

9.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$95.0 €85.1

11.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$119 €107

0.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$560 €502

203.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$500 €448

171.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$779 €697

234.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$590 €528

249.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$1,977 €1,770

249.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$1,648 €1,476

211.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,310 €1,174

68.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.18

3.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Roquetas de Mar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Roquetas de Mar

$500 34.9% 63.1% $855

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Roquetas de Mar

$269 18.8% 16.3% $53

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Roquetas de Mar

$236 16.5% 12% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Roquetas de Mar

$176 12.3% 22.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Roquetas de Mar

$145 10.1% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Roquetas de Mar

$54 3.8% 27% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Roquetas de Mar

$52 3.6% 6.7% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $560 in Roquetas de Mar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 69% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $55 in Roquetas de Mar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $269 per month, with Roquetas de Mar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Roquetas de Mar

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

106,510

💱 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 Roquetas de Mar 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Roquetas de Mar

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 Roquetas de Mar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar, so Roquetas de Mar is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% 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 $560 in Roquetas de Mar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $397 in Roquetas de Mar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Roquetas de Mar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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