Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sliema

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Sliema: $2,399 and $2,396 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
Learn more

Sliema Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sliema

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,396 in Sliema.

Barcelona $2,399
Sliema $2,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,794 in Sliema.

Barcelona $3,410
Sliema $3,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $5,191 in Sliema.

Barcelona $4,421
Sliema $5,191

Monthly costs are close between Barcelona and Sliema; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Sliema 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$19.81 €17.63

-9.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$85.6 €76.2

-20.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$13.24 €11.77

0.30%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.77 €2.47

17.33%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.02 €2.69

-0.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.16 €1.92

-13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$4.60 €4.09

-16.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.24 €4.66

-14.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.35 €1.20

-4.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.37 €1.22

48.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$4.24 €3.77

-59.43%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.30 €3.82

10.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$8.27 €7.35

102.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$10.25 €9.12

-12.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$18.21 €16.20

9.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$4.24 €3.77

-29.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.81 €2.50

-27.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.52 €3.13

-22.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.32 €2.95

-19.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.42 €2.16

-13.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.05 €1.82

1.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.34 €2.08

-38.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.30 €1.16

-31.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.83 €6.08

1.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$8.09 €7.19

-3.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.68 €1.50

-13.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.40 €2.14

7.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.17 €1.93

37.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$133 €118

-81.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$5.64 €5.02

-44.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.20 €1.96

-34.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$27.09 €24.10

23.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.54 €1.37

16.23%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$37.9K €33.7K

-8.68%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$39.6K €35.2K

-24.09%

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

$178 €158

$103 €91.9

72.10%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$25.61 €22.78

-47.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$42.84 €38.10

-18.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$76.4 €68.0

-30.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$15.86 €14.11

0.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$10.20 €9.08

8.43%

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

$957 €851

$366 €326

161.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$11.1K €9,912

48.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$85.5 €76.0

3.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$40.84 €36.33

-3.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$101 €90.0

1.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$76.7 €68.2

58.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,775 €1,579

-6.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,220 €1,085

6.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,913 €2,591

-12.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$2,385 €2,122

-19.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$5,353 €4,762

36.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,578 €3,183

41.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,815 €1,614

25.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.9

13.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sliema: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9% 6.3% $82

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Sliema

$326 13.6% 2% $6.4

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Sliema

$286 11.9% 5.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Sliema

$172 7.2% 24% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Sliema

$137 5.7% 13.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Sliema

$97 4% 28.4% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Sliema

$158 6.6% 234% $111

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,775 in Sliema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $86.0 in Sliema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $326 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Sliema

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

16,854

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Sliema 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sliema

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 Sliema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,775 in Sliema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $366 in Sliema. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sliema – a meal for two runs $86.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Sliema 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 Sliema are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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