Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Takamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Takamatsu: $1,191 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Takamatsu
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Takamatsu Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Takamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Takamatsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,191 in Takamatsu.

Barcelona $2,381
Takamatsu $1,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,881 in Takamatsu.

Barcelona $3,406
Takamatsu $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,571 in Takamatsu.

Barcelona $4,431
Takamatsu $2,571

Living in Barcelona is roughly 100% more expensive than in Takamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Takamatsu is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$6.20 ¥980

188.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$31.99 ¥5,054

106.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$5.12 ¥809

167.38%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.13 ¥495

-2.24%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$1.19 ¥189

157.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.80 ¥126

142.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.60 ¥410

48.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.22 ¥508

43.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.50 ¥238

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.60 ¥252

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.76 ¥278

3.98%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.29 ¥361

101.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.37 ¥1,639

67.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$6.60 ¥1,043

40.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$16.83 ¥2,659

17.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.69 ¥583

-18.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.28 ¥360

-10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.90 ¥458

-8.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.24 ¥671

-32.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.48 ¥391

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.46 ¥389

-12.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.27 ¥201

15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.79 ¥124

11.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$3.67 ¥580

88.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.63 ¥1,048

18.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.88 ¥298

-26.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.11 ¥333

24.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.46 ¥231

99.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$53.3 ¥8,414

-52.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.18 ¥503

-5.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.79 ¥442

-48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$18.60 ¥2,938

78.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.06 ¥168

75.47%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

50.48%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

110.06%

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

$183 €163

$137 ¥21.6K

33.65%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$23.78 ¥3,757

-42.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$30.79 ¥4,865

6.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$51.7 ¥8,161

5.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$3.11 ¥491

431.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$11.79 ¥1,862

-4.75%

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

$954 €849

$521 ¥82.3K

83.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

31.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$48.96 ¥7,736

75.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$31.24 ¥4,936

25.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$60.1 ¥9,499

72.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$90.5 ¥14.3K

31.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$529 ¥83.6K

220.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$334 ¥52.8K

281.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,089 ¥172.0K

136.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$735 ¥116.1K

161.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,144 ¥654.7K

75.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,783 ¥281.6K

181.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,761 ¥278.1K

26.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.21

48.42%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Takamatsu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Takamatsu

$334 28.1% 73.8% $942

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Takamatsu

$280 23.5% 13.7% $45

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Takamatsu

$130 10.9% 51.8% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Takamatsu

$191 16.1% 16.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Takamatsu

$104 8.7% 33.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Takamatsu

$75 6.3% 2.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Takamatsu

$76 6.4% 61.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $529 in Takamatsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 26% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $32.00 in Takamatsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $280 per month, with Takamatsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Takamatsu

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

12:53 12:53 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

426,514

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Takamatsu 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Takamatsu

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 Takamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Takamatsu differ by about 100% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,191 including rent). Takamatsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $529 in Takamatsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $521 in Takamatsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,191 in Takamatsu versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Takamatsu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.