Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Syros

For one person, living is cheaper in Syros: $1,533 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Syros
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Syros Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Syros

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Syros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,533 in Syros.

Barcelona $2,453
Syros $1,533

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,316 in Syros.

Barcelona $3,509
Syros $2,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,099 in Syros.

Barcelona $4,564
Syros $3,099

Living in Barcelona is roughly 60% more expensive than in Syros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Syros 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$12.82 €11.49

37.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$55.1 €49.36

22.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.08 €9.03

34.23%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.36 €3.01

-5.06%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.38 €2.13

22.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.73 €0.66

158.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.57 €4.99

-28.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.20 €4.66

-12.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.78 €1.60

-26.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.43 €1.28

41.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.59 €2.33

-28.57%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.52 €4.05

6.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$15.50 €13.89

8.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.43 €9.35

-12.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.96 €13.41

31.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.17 €1.95

37.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.05 €1.84

-1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.34 €1.20

101.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.77 €1.58

58.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.19 €1.06

75.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.18 €1.05

75.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.89 €0.80

64.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.70 €0.63

34.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$4.98 €4.46

37.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.02 €7.19

-1.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.23 €2.00

-36.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.99 €2.68

-15.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.35 €1.21

132.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$53.2 €47.70

-52.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.44 €3.97

-32.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.10 €0.99

35.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$5.48 €4.91

508.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.18 €1.95

-17.43%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.8K €24.9K

19.45%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$24.1K €21.6K

31.66%

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

$180 €162

$194 €174

-6.93%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$25.45 €22.80

-45.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$27.57 €24.71

22.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$54.1 €48.46

-4.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$25.02 €22.42

-36.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.01 €8.07

21.98%

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

$917 €821

$391 €350

134.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$3,967 €3,555

315.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$88.9 €79.7

-2.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$27.47 €24.62

40.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$84.2 €75.4

25.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$82.9 €74.3

44.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$577 €517

194.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$501 €449

170.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$995 €892

161.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$828 €742

149.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,662 €1,489

316.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,567 €1,404

227.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$966 €865

128.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.44

-26.13%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Syros: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Syros

$501 32.7% 63% $854

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Syros

$293 19.1% 9.1% $29

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Syros

$224 14.6% 16.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Syros

$247 16.1% 8.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Syros

$128 8.3% 19.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Syros

$72 4.7% 1.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Syros

$69 4.5% 41.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $577 in Syros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $55 in Syros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $293 per month, with Syros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇷 Syros

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,138

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Syros 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Syros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,533 in Syros, so Syros is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.3 times higher, 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 $577 in Syros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $391 in Syros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Syros 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 Syros are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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