Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,183 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
Learn more

Setagaya-ku Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,183 in Setagaya-ku.

Barcelona $2,399
Setagaya-ku $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,834 in Setagaya-ku.

Barcelona $3,410
Setagaya-ku $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $2,484 in Setagaya-ku.

Barcelona $4,421
Setagaya-ku $2,484

Living in Barcelona is roughly 103% more expensive than in Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Setagaya-ku is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$6.12 ¥968

193.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$25.64 ¥4,050

165.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$4.36 ¥690

204.59%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.97 ¥470

9.43%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.04 ¥165

189.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.65 ¥102

187.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$2.19 ¥346

75.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$3.22 ¥508

39.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.23 ¥194

4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.72 ¥272

18.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.64 ¥575

-52.75%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$1.17 ¥186

307.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$10.40 ¥1,643

61.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$6.11 ¥965

46.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$14.25 ¥2,252

39.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$5.59 ¥883

-46.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.74 ¥433

-25.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.95 ¥466

-7.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.14 ¥654

-35.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.62 ¥415

-19.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.63 ¥416

-20.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.24 ¥196

16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.56 ¥87.7

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$3.79 ¥599

83.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$6.26 ¥989

24.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.81 ¥287

-19.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.09 ¥330

22.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.46 ¥231

104.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$50.7 ¥8,012

-50.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.23 ¥510

-3.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.66 ¥421

-45.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$20.85 ¥3,294

60.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.10 ¥174

62.73%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$21.2K ¥3.4M

63.15%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

62.01%

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

$178 €158

$131 ¥20.6K

36.14%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$23.82 ¥3,764

-44.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$31.73 ¥5,013

9.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$55.0 ¥8,691

-3.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.52 ¥1,820

-3.99%

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

$957 €851

$636 ¥100.5K

50.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

12.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$62.3 ¥9,846

41.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$36.37 ¥5,747

8.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$62.1 ¥9,814

65.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$102 ¥16.2K

18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$534 ¥84.4K

209.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$325 ¥51.4K

300.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,152 ¥182.0K

121.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$674 ¥106.4K

184.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,724 ¥588.4K

95.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,635 ¥258.4K

210.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

64.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5% 75% $977

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7% 12.3% $39

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3% 54.9% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7% 17.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Setagaya-ku

$118 10% 25.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6% 3.6% $2.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2% 54% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $534 in Setagaya-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $26.00 in Setagaya-ku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $281 per month, with Setagaya-ku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

03:28 3:28 AM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

943,664

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Setagaya-ku 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Setagaya-ku differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,183 including rent). Setagaya-ku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,599 in Barcelona and $1,775 in Setagaya-ku 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $534 in Setagaya-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $636 in Setagaya-ku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,183 in Setagaya-ku versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Setagaya-ku but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.