Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and San Gwann

For one person, living is cheaper in San Gwann: $2,037 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in San Gwann
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San Gwann Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

San Gwann

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in San Gwann

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,037 in San Gwann.

Barcelona $2,453
San Gwann $2,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,105 in San Gwann.

Barcelona $3,509
San Gwann $3,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,172 in San Gwann.

Barcelona $4,564
San Gwann $4,172

Living in Barcelona is roughly 20% more expensive than in San Gwann, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, San Gwann 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$21.53 €19.30

-18.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$68.0 €61.0

-0.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.44 €12.05

0.67%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.91 €2.60

9.62%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.07 €1.86

40.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.11 €1.00

70.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$4.54 €4.07

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.52 €4.05

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.40 €1.25

44.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.58 €3.21

-48.32%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.22 €3.78

14.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$10.21 €9.15

63.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.76 €10.54

-22.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$17.66 €15.83

11.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.89 €3.48

-23.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.76 €2.47

-26.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.93 €3.52

-31.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.66 €3.28

-23.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.86 €1.66

12.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.20 €1.97

-5.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.18 €1.96

-33.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.56 €1.40

-39.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.37 €5.71

7.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.44 €4.87

45.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.40 €2.15

-41.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.38 €2.14

6.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.25 €2.02

39.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$14.65 €13.13

73.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.89 €3.48

-23.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.81 €1.62

-17.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$32.04 €28.71

4.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.48 €1.33

21.62%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.4K €24.5K

21.20%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.8K €30.2K

-6.08%

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

$180 €162

$115 €103

56.47%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$30.72 €27.53

-54.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$35.87 €32.14

-6.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$56.5 €50.7

-8.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$18.36 €16.45

-13.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.97 €8.93

10.23%

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

$917 €821

$281 €252

225.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.1K €9,972

48.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$54.3 €48.63

60.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$62.3 €55.8

-38.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$79.6 €71.3

32.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$127 €114

-5.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,208 €1,083

40.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$969 €868

39.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,283 €2,045

14.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,660 €1,487

24.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,659 €5,071

22.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,828 €2,534

81.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,745 €1,563

26.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.05

-19.01%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Gwann: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

San Gwann

$969 47.6% 28.5% $386

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

San Gwann

$336 16.5% 4.3% $14

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

San Gwann

$292 14.3% 9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

San Gwann

$182 8.9% 20.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

San Gwann

$145 7.1% 7.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

San Gwann

$76 3.8% 4% $3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

San Gwann

$37 1.8% 24.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,208 in San Gwann. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 27% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in San Gwann for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $336 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 San Gwann

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

12,523

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona San Gwann 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
San Gwann

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 San Gwann: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,037 in San Gwann, so San Gwann is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% 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 $1,208 in San Gwann. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $281 in San Gwann. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in San Gwann runs roughly 42% less than in Barcelona. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. San Gwann is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 San Gwann are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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