Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Roubaix

For one person, living is cheaper in Roubaix: $1,656 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Roubaix
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Roubaix Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Roubaix

🇫🇷 France

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Roubaix

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,656 in Roubaix.

Barcelona $2,381
Roubaix $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,580 in Roubaix.

Barcelona $3,406
Roubaix $2,580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,505 in Roubaix.

Barcelona $4,431
Roubaix $3,505

Living in Barcelona is roughly 44% more expensive than in Roubaix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Roubaix 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$18.17 €16.16

-1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$74.0 €65.8

-10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.62 €12.11

0.51%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.83 €3.41

-20.10%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.19 €2.84

-3.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.64 €1.46

18.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$7.59 €6.75

-49.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.67 €5.04

-18.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.14 €1.02

14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.59 €1.41

32.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.82 €2.51

-35.11%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.04 €1.81

126.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$12.71 €11.30

36.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$9.01 €8.01

3.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$13.08 €11.64

51.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$0.98 €0.88

207.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.11 €0.98

82.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.19 €1.95

21.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.70 €2.40

6.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.76 €0.67

184.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.92 €0.82

133.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.68 €1.49

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.22 €0.19

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$11.66 €10.37

-40.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$8.48 €7.55

-7.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.37 €2.10

-41.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$4.27 €3.80

-38.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.94 €1.72

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$48.11 €42.80

-47.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.21 €1.97

35.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.15 €1.91

-33.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$24.07 €21.41

37.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.07 €1.84

-10.14%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$28.3K €25.1K

14.39%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$27.7K €24.6K

14.56%

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

$183 €163

$176 €157

3.56%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$15.18 €13.50

-10.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$30.56 €27.18

7.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$35.62 €31.68

53.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$10.97 €9.76

2.37%

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

$954 €849

$629 €560

51.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$8,319 €7,399

99.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$87.0 €77.4

-1.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$40.20 €35.76

-2.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$101 €89.5

3.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$102 €91.1

15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$756 €672

124.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$604 €537

111.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,360 €1,209

89.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,132 €1,007

69.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,956 €3,519

84.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,007 €2,675

66.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,761 €1,566

26.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.92

-16.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Roubaix: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Roubaix

$604 36.5% 52.7% $672

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Roubaix

$254 15.3% 21.9% $71

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Roubaix

$301 18.2% 11.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Roubaix

$222 13.4% 3.1% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Roubaix

$149 9% 5% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Roubaix

$58 3.5% 25.4% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Roubaix

$69 4.2% 45.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $756 in Roubaix. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 26% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $74.0 in Roubaix. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $254, with Roubaix cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Roubaix

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

98,892

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Roubaix 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Roubaix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Roubaix differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,656 including rent). Roubaix is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $756 in Roubaix. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $629 in Roubaix. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Roubaix versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Roubaix but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Roubaix 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 Roubaix 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 Roubaix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.