Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rueil-Malmaison

For one person, living is cheaper in Rueil-Malmaison: $1,778 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Rueil-Malmaison
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Rueil-Malmaison Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Rueil-Malmaison

🇫🇷 France

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rueil-Malmaison

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 Rueil-Malmaison actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,778 in Rueil-Malmaison.

Barcelona $2,381
Rueil-Malmaison $1,778

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,710 in Rueil-Malmaison.

Barcelona $3,406
Rueil-Malmaison $2,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,641 in Rueil-Malmaison.

Barcelona $4,431
Rueil-Malmaison $3,641

Living in Barcelona is roughly 34% more expensive than in Rueil-Malmaison, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Rueil-Malmaison 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$17.01 €15.13

5.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$45.25 €40.25

46.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.77 €6.91

76.19%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.68 €1.50

82.14%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.05 €2.71

0.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.06 €1.83

-5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$8.46 €7.53

-54.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.25 €2.89

41.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.29 €1.14

0.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.76 €1.57

19.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.46 €2.19

-25.61%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.91 €3.48

18.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.11 €8.99

71.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$11.77 €10.47

-21.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$15.79 €14.05

25.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.00 €2.67

0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.07 €2.73

-33.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.51 €1.34

75.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.21 €3.74

-31.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.86 €1.65

16.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.10 €1.87

2.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.64 €1.46

-10.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.14 €0.12

528.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$12.69 €11.29

-45.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.73 €5.10

36.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.42 €1.27

-2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.61 €1.43

63.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.91 €1.70

52.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$98.0 €87.2

-74.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.23 €1.99

34.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.12 €1.00

28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$32.32 €28.75

2.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.15 €1.91

-13.49%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$34.6K €30.8K

-6.49%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$30.2K €26.9K

4.98%

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

$183 €163

$206 €183

-11.08%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$32.00 €28.46

-57.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$31.80 €28.28

3.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$35.12 €31.24

55.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$22.74 €20.22

-27.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.92 €14.16

-29.46%

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

$954 €849

$894 €795

6.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$11.3K €10.1K

46.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$127 €113

-32.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$45.99 €40.91

-14.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$98.8 €87.9

4.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$159 €142

-25.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,051 €935

61.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$592 €527

115.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,405 €1,250

83.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,097 €976

75.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$6,654 €5,919

9.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,025 €2,691

65.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,226 €2,869

-30.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.9

-15.90%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rueil-Malmaison: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Rueil-Malmaison

$592 33.3% 53.6% $684

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Rueil-Malmaison

$293 16.5% 9.9% $32

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Rueil-Malmaison

$249 14% 7.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Rueil-Malmaison

$269 15.2% 17.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Rueil-Malmaison

$194 10.9% 24.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Rueil-Malmaison

$67 3.8% 13.2% $10

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Rueil-Malmaison

$114 6.4% 140% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,051 in Rueil-Malmaison. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rueil-Malmaison pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $45.00 in Rueil-Malmaison for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $293 per month, with Rueil-Malmaison cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Rueil-Malmaison

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

78,186

💱 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 Rueil-Malmaison 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Rueil-Malmaison

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 Rueil-Malmaison: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Rueil-Malmaison differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,778 including rent). Rueil-Malmaison is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Rueil-Malmaison. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,051 in Rueil-Malmaison. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $894 in Rueil-Malmaison. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,778 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rueil-Malmaison but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rueil-Malmaison 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 Rueil-Malmaison 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 Rueil-Malmaison gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.