Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rota

For one person, living is cheaper in Rota: $1,657 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Rota
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Rota Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Rota

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,657 in Rota.

Barcelona $2,453
Rota $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,448 in Rota.

Barcelona $3,509
Rota $2,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,240 in Rota.

Barcelona $4,564
Rota $3,240

Living in Barcelona is roughly 48% more expensive than in Rota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Rota 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$16.95 €15.19

3.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$62.8 €56.3

7.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.31 €11.03

9.91%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.20 €1.97

45.00%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.71 €2.43

7.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.91 €1.72

-1.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.45 €3.10

16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.61 €4.13

-1.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.18 €1.06

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.45 €1.30

39.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.77 €1.59

4.52%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.33 €2.98

45.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$15.49 €13.88

8.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.99 €7.16

14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$15.24 €13.65

28.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.56 €2.30

16.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.97 €1.76

2.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.76 €1.58

53.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.56 €2.30

9.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.63 €1.46

28.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.26 €1.12

15.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.71 €0.63

32.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.44 €5.77

6.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.57 €5.89

20.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.19 €1.06

18.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.33 €2.09

9.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.67 €1.50

88.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$32.10 €28.77

-20.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.92 €1.72

55.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.23 €1.10

21.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$22.49 €20.15

48.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.79 €1.60

0.56%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.6K €30.1K

-1.17%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$31.3K €28.0K

1.29%

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

$180 €162

$165 €148

9.55%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$10.89 €9.76

27.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$25.02 €22.42

34.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$44.69 €40.05

15.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$15.51 €13.90

2.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.48 €8.50

15.93%

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

$917 €821

$856 €767

7.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$9,996 €8,957

64.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$89.4 €80.1

-2.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$38.64 €34.62

-0.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$84.7 €75.9

24.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$106 €95.1

12.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$882 €791

92.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$688 €617

96.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,356 €1,215

91.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,023 €917

101.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,235 €2,899

113.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,227 €1,995

130.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.29

-0.30%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rota: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Rota

$688 41.6% 49.2% $667

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Rota

$270 16.3% 16.2% $52

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Rota

$244 14.7% 8.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Rota

$201 12.1% 12% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Rota

$143 8.7% 9.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Rota

$64 3.8% 13.4% $9.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Rota

$47 2.8% 3.3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $882 in Rota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $63 in Rota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $270 per month, with Rota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Rota

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

29,675

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Rota 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Rota

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 Rota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,657 in Rota, so Rota is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,485 in Rota to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $882 in Rota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $856 in Rota. 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.

At $1,657 in Rota versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rota but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rota 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 Rota are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.