Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Toulouse

For one person, living is cheaper in Toulouse: $2,004 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Toulouse
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Toulouse Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Toulouse

🇫🇷 France

$2,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Toulouse

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,004 in Toulouse.

Barcelona $2,453
Toulouse $2,004

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,072 in Toulouse.

Barcelona $3,509
Toulouse $3,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,140 in Toulouse.

Barcelona $4,564
Toulouse $4,140

Living in Barcelona is roughly 22% more expensive than in Toulouse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Toulouse 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$16.88 €15.06

4.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$79.4 €70.9

-15.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$13.44 €12.00

0.67%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$4.50 €4.01

-29.11%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$3.95 €3.52

-26.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.95 €2.63

-35.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$7.33 €6.54

-45.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$6.86 €6.12

-33.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.33 €1.19

-1.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.04 €1.82

-0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.59 €2.31

-28.57%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.62 €4.12

4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$23.00 €20.52

-27.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$14.66 €13.08

-37.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$21.29 €19.00

-7.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.34 €2.98

-10.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.59 €2.31

-22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$3.31 €2.95

-18.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.57 €3.18

-21.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.48 €2.21

-15.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.79 €2.49

-25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.50 €1.34

-2.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.96 €0.86

-2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$13.91 €12.41

-50.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$8.80 €7.85

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.51 €3.13

-59.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.43 €3.06

-25.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$2.21 €1.97

42.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$64.2 €57.3

-60.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$8.19 €7.31

-63.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.33 €2.08

-36.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$37.97 €33.88

-12.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.23 €1.99

-19.28%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$35.2K €31.4K

-5.70%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$35.7K €31.8K

-11.13%

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

$180 €161

$217 €194

-16.93%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$13.92 €12.42

-0.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$33.51 €29.90

0.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$35.27 €31.47

46.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$21.83 €19.48

-26.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$13.23 €11.80

-16.93%

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

$917 €818

$1,002 €894

-8.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$9,903 €8,835

66.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$113 €101

-23.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$52.5 €46.80

-26.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$117 €105

-9.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$165 €147

-27.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$885 €790

91.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$672 €599

101.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,507 €1,344

72.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,124 €1,003

83.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$5,940 €5,300

16.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$3,403 €3,037

50.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$2,916 €2,602

-24.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.79

-13.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Toulouse: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Toulouse

$672 33.5% 50.4% $684

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Toulouse

$405 20.2% 25.7% $83

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Toulouse

$307 15.3% 14.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Toulouse

$265 13.2% 16.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Toulouse

$202 10.1% 27.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Toulouse

$62 3.1% 16% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Toulouse

$93 4.6% 91.6% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $885 in Toulouse. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toulouse pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $79 in Toulouse for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $405 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Toulouse

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

504,078

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Toulouse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,004 in Toulouse, so Toulouse is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $885 in Toulouse. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,002 in Toulouse. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Toulouse 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 Toulouse are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.