Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Swieqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Swieqi: $2,082 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Swieqi
Learn more

Swieqi Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Swieqi

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Swieqi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,082 in Swieqi.

Barcelona $2,453
Swieqi $2,082

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,327 in Swieqi.

Barcelona $3,509
Swieqi $3,327

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,571 in Swieqi.

Barcelona $4,564
Swieqi $4,571

Living in Barcelona is roughly 18% more expensive than in Swieqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Swieqi 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$16.71 €14.91

5.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$68.1 €60.8

-0.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$10.94 €9.76

23.67%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.33 €2.08

24.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.82 €1.62

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$3.64 €3.25

10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$4.44 €3.96

2.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.36 €1.21

-3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.45 €1.29

39.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$3.59 €3.20

-48.47%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.19 €2.85

51.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$8.53 €7.61

96.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$9.92 €8.85

-8.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$18.11 €16.15

8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.86 €3.44

-22.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.26 €2.02

-10.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.87 €2.56

-5.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.74 €3.34

-25.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.95 €1.74

7.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.45 €2.19

-15.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.81 €1.61

-19.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.89 €0.79

5.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$6.35 €5.66

8.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$6.04 €5.39

30.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.47 €2.20

-42.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.32 €2.07

9.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$2.22 €1.98

41.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$14.72 €13.14

72.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.99 €3.56

-25.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.77 €1.58

-15.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$33.28 €29.69

0.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.46 €1.30

23.29%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.5K €25.4K

16.57%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$39.0K €34.8K

-18.70%

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

$180 €161

$121 €108

49.00%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$22.20 €19.81

-37.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$29.85 €26.63

12.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$66.6 €59.4

-22.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$16.07 €14.34

-0.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$8.98 €8.01

22.38%

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

$917 €818

$221 €197

315.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$12.3K €11.0K

33.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$56.7 €50.6

53.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$55.1 €49.18

-30.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$112 €99.7

-5.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$128 €114

-6.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,259 €1,123

34.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$1,076 €960

25.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$3,105 €2,770

-16.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$2,199 €1,962

-6.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$3,969 €3,541

74.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,882 €2,571

77.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,397 €1,246

58.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.01

-18.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Swieqi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Swieqi

$1.1K 51.7% 20.6% $279

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Swieqi

$305 14.7% 5.1% $16

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Swieqi

$249 11.9% 7.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Swieqi

$173 8.3% 24% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Swieqi

$158 7.6% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Swieqi

$85 4.1% 15% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Swieqi

$36 1.8% 24.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,259 in Swieqi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 58% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $68 in Swieqi. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $305, with Swieqi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Swieqi

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

14,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Swieqi 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Swieqi

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 Swieqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,082 in Swieqi, so Swieqi is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% 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 $1,259 in Swieqi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $221 in Swieqi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Swieqi 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. Swieqi 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 Swieqi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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