Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Toyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Toyama: $1,175 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Toyama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,175
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Toyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,175 in Toyama.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Toyama $1,175

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,880 in Toyama.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Toyama $1,880

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,584 in Toyama.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Toyama $2,584

Living in Barcelona is roughly 103% more expensive than in Toyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Toyama is 13% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Toyama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.92
$3.94 ¥622
354.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €58.9
$40.27 ¥6,362
64.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.18
$4.98 ¥787
174.90%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$3.33 ¥526
-8.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$1.05 ¥166
192.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$0.79 ¥125
145.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$2.45 ¥387
57.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.10
$3.10 ¥489
48.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Toyama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.13 ¥178
15.04%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$0.77 ¥122
172.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.62
$3.55 ¥561
-48.45%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$2.07 ¥327
123.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.44
$10.50 ¥1,659
65.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.25
$6.13 ¥968
51.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.64
$14.44 ¥2,281
37.33%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.68
$5.73 ¥906
-47.47%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$2.73 ¥431
-25.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$2.85 ¥450
-7.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.55
$4.27 ¥675
-32.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$2.55 ¥402
-15.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$2.65 ¥419
-18.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.30 ¥205
13.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.65 ¥102
35.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.16
$3.77 ¥595
83.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.96
$6.44 ¥1,017
21.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.72 ¥272
-19.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.34
$2.00 ¥316
31.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Toyama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.59
$1.51 ¥239
92.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.64
$53.9 ¥8,509
-52.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.66
$3.23 ¥510
-7.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.64 ¥418
-45.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.53
$20.28 ¥3,203
63.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.11 ¥175
67.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$21.0K ¥3.3M
54.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.2K
$18.0K ¥2.8M
75.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Toyama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$130 ¥20.6K
40.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.11
$24.54 ¥3,878
-44.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.29
$31.59 ¥4,991
4.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Toyama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.65
$53.1 ¥8,381
3.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.70
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$11.31 ¥1,786
-0.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Toyama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €849
$626 ¥98.9K
52.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$14.6K ¥2.3M
13.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Toyama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.5
$62.8 ¥9,928
36.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.78
$37.20 ¥5,877
5.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.2
$62.0 ¥9,794
67.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$101 ¥16.0K
17.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Toyama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,508
$234 ¥37.0K
624.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,135
$330 ¥52.1K
287.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,291
$1,091 ¥172.3K
136.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,710
$730 ¥115.4K
163.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,477
$4,156 ¥656.5K
75.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,456
$1,755 ¥277.3K
185.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Toyama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,981
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
2.64
24.24%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Toyama: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Toyama
$330 74.2% $946
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Toyama
$276 15.1% $49
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Toyama
$112 58.4% $157
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Toyama
$186 18.7% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Toyama
$118 24.2% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Toyama
$76 1.9% $1.5
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Toyama
$76 61.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $234 in Toyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $40.00 in Toyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $276 per month, with Toyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇯🇵 Toyama
🕒 Local time
05:52 5:52 AM
12:52 12:52 PM
7 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
421,259
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Toyama 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Toyama

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 Toyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Toyama?
Barcelona and Toyama differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,175 including rent). Toyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Toyama?
You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,762 in Toyama 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Toyama?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $234 in Toyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Toyama?
Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $626 in Toyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,175 in Toyama versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toyama but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Toyama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Toyama?
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.
Is Barcelona or Toyama safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Toyama are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Toyama?
Expats usually find Toyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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