Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tarxien

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarxien: $1,952 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Tarxien
Learn more

Tarxien Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Tarxien

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Tarxien

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,952 in Tarxien.

Barcelona $2,453
Tarxien $1,952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,102 in Tarxien.

Barcelona $3,509
Tarxien $3,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,253 in Tarxien.

Barcelona $4,564
Tarxien $4,253

Living in Barcelona is roughly 26% more expensive than in Tarxien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Tarxien 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.69 €20.33

-22.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$89.9 €80.5

-24.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.30 €11.92

1.73%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.26 €2.92

-2.15%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.36 €2.11

23.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.92 €1.72

-1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.53 €4.95

-27.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.54 €5.86

-30.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.30 €1.17

0.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.41 €1.26

43.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.44 €3.08

-46.22%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.42 €3.96

9.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$10.21 €9.15

63.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.95 €10.71

-23.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$18.07 €16.19

8.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.73 €3.34

-20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.67 €2.39

-24.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.98 €3.57

-32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.83 €3.43

-26.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.91 €1.71

9.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.28 €2.94

-36.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.23 €2.00

-34.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.50 €1.34

-37.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.29 €5.64

9.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.10 €5.47

29.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.48 €2.22

-43.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.27 €2.03

11.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.11 €1.89

48.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.87 €3.47

-22.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.77 €1.59

-15.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$32.80 €29.39

1.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.47 €1.31

22.45%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.3K €25.4K

17.20%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$39.4K €35.3K

-19.60%

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

$180 €162

$155 €139

16.62%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$30.62 €27.44

-54.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$29.10 €26.07

15.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$65.3 €58.5

-21.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.38 €10.19

-3.43%

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

$917 €821

$273 €244

236.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$12.1K €10.8K

36.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$57.2 €51.3

52.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$67.5 €60.5

-42.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$114 €102

-7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$128 €115

-6.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,136 €1,018

49.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$804 €720

68.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,707 €1,530

52.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,516 €1,359

36.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,169 €3,736

65.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,223 €2,888

59.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.05

-19.01%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tarxien: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Tarxien

$804 41.2% 40.7% $552

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Tarxien

$341 17.5% 6% $19

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Tarxien

$318 16.3% 18.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Tarxien

$214 11% 5.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Tarxien

$165 8.5% 4.4% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Tarxien

$88 4.5% 19.8% $15

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Tarxien

$21 * 1.1% 56.3% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,136 in Tarxien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $90 in Tarxien for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $341 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Tarxien

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

8,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Tarxien 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Tarxien

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 Tarxien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,952 in Tarxien, so Tarxien is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,928 in Tarxien to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,136 in Tarxien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $273 in Tarxien. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $90 in Tarxien. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Tarxien are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.