Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Siena

For one person, living is cheaper in Siena: $1,836 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Siena
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Siena Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Siena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,836

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Siena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,836 in Siena.

Barcelona $2,399
Siena $1,836

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,784 in Siena.

Barcelona $3,410
Siena $2,784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,733 in Siena.

Barcelona $4,421
Siena $3,733

Living in Barcelona is roughly 31% more expensive than in Siena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Siena 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$15.36 €13.66

16.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$90.9 €80.9

-25.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$13.54 €12.05

-1.92%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$1.89 €1.68

71.96%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.96 €2.63

1.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.41 €1.26

32.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$6.19 €5.51

-37.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.59 €4.98

-19.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.45 €1.29

-11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.24 €2.00

-8.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.64 €1.46

4.88%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.03 €3.58

18.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.54 €12.04

23.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$11.93 €10.61

-25.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$21.56 €19.18

-7.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.57 €2.29

15.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.15 €1.91

-5.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.13 €2.79

-12.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.16 €2.81

-15.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.82 €1.62

15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.57 €1.40

32.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.37 €1.22

5.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.52 €0.46

71.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.66 €5.93

4.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$6.53 €5.81

19.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.51 €1.34

-3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.62 €2.33

-1.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.94 €1.73

54.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$41.73 €37.12

-39.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$6.45 €5.74

-51.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.39 €1.24

3.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$32.32 €28.74

3.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.08 €1.85

-13.94%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$27.6K €24.6K

25.47%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$35.5K €31.6K

-15.42%

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

$178 €158

$194 €173

-8.46%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$13.47 €11.98

-1.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$31.20 €27.75

11.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$70.4 €62.7

-24.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.30 €10.05

-2.12%

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

$957 €851

$576 €513

66.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$14.7K €13.1K

12.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$84.0 €74.7

5.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$37.04 €32.95

6.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$95.9 €85.3

7.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$107 €95.0

13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,138 €1,013

45.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$725 €645

79.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,720 €1,530

48.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,122 €998

70.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$4,381 €3,897

66.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,930 €3,495

29.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,882 €1,674

21.18%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Siena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Siena

$725 39.5% 44.3% $577

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Siena

$325 17.7% 1.4% $4.6

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Siena

$246 13.4% 9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Siena

$239 13% 5.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Siena

$146 7.9% 8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Siena

$93 5.1% 23.4% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Siena

$63 3.4% 32.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,138 in Siena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 21% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $91.0 in Siena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Siena

🕒 Local time

00:40 12:40 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

53,903

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Siena 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Siena

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 Siena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Siena differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,836 including rent). Siena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,138 in Siena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $576 in Siena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,836 in Siena versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Siena but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Siena 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 Siena 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 Siena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.