Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Suginami-ku Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Suginami-ku

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,196 in Suginami-ku.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,894 in Suginami-ku.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,592 in Suginami-ku.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 98% more expensive than Suginami-ku, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Suginami-ku is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$7.00 ¥1,120

151.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$34.21 ¥5,473

100.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$5.06 ¥810

177.87%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$3.16 ¥506

-12.03%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$1.14 ¥182

145.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.74 ¥119

178.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$2.04 ¥326

118.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$2.09 ¥335

120.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.51 ¥242

-17.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.76 ¥281

15.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$4.84 ¥774

-60.33%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$1.52 ¥243

117.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$10.18 ¥1,628

81.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$6.27 ¥1,004

51.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$15.64 ¥2,502

22.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$5.95 ¥952

-55.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$3.08 ¥493

-20.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$4.10 ¥655

-48.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$4.64 ¥742

-38.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$3.33 ¥533

-38.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$3.57 ¥570

-48.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.34 ¥215

9.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.87 ¥139

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$4.25 ¥680

68.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$9.29 ¥1,486

-15.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.84 ¥294

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.06 ¥330

12.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$1.59 ¥254

87.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$55.1 ¥8,808

-46.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$3.57 ¥570

28.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$3.02 ¥484

-31.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$21.93 ¥3,507

33.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.17 ¥188

57.26%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$22.9K ¥3.7M

70.08%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$18.3K ¥2.9M

78.88%

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

$188 €162

$82.5 ¥13.2K

127.61%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$27.76 ¥4,440

-17.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$33.70 ¥5,391

8.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$56.2 ¥8,994

2.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$14.00 ¥2,240

47.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$11.32 ¥1,811

-1.15%

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

$721 €621

$287 ¥45.9K

151.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$14.0K ¥2.2M

7.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$20.99 ¥3,357

310.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$29.03 ¥4,643

27.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$60.9 ¥9,737

67.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$98.4 ¥15.7K

17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$463 ¥74.1K

231.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$323 ¥51.7K

277.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$879 ¥140.6K

206.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$660 ¥105.5K

205.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$4,161 ¥665.5K

73.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

$2,507 ¥401.0K

106.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$2,769 ¥442.9K

-14.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

69.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Suginami-ku: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $463 in Suginami-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suginami-ku pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $34.00 in Suginami-ku. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

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 Suginami-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Suginami-ku differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,196 including rent). Suginami-ku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Suginami-ku earns 17% less. 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $463 in Suginami-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $287 in Suginami-ku. 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 $1,196 in Suginami-ku versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suginami-ku but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Suginami-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 Suginami-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 Suginami-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.