Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Trieste

For one person, living is cheaper in Trieste: $1,885 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Trieste
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Trieste Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Trieste

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Trieste

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,885 in Trieste.

Barcelona $2,453
Trieste $1,885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,827 in Trieste.

Barcelona $3,509
Trieste $2,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,768 in Trieste.

Barcelona $4,564
Trieste $3,768

Living in Barcelona is roughly 30% more expensive than in Trieste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Trieste 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$21.99 €19.70

-20.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$66.4 €59.5

1.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.62 €10.42

16.44%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.20 €1.97

45.00%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.74 €3.35

-22.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.06 €1.85

-8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.59 €5.91

-39.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.44 €4.87

-16.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.21 €1.98

-40.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.21 €2.88

-37.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.74 €3.35

-50.53%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.13 €3.71

16.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$14.97 €13.41

11.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.40 €10.22

-20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$17.03 €15.26

15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.87 €2.57

3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.18 €1.96

-7.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.99 €2.68

-9.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.68 €4.20

-40.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.60 €2.33

-19.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.68 €2.40

-22.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.31 €2.07

-36.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.77 €0.69

22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.61 €5.92

3.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.78 €6.98

1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.84 €1.65

-23.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.48 €2.22

2.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.64 €1.47

91.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$44.10 €39.52

-42.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.85 €7.93

-66.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.87 €1.68

-20.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$33.07 €29.63

0.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.22 €1.99

-18.92%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$36.2K €32.5K

-8.37%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.6K €33.7K

-15.60%

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

$180 €162

$218 €195

-17.14%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$9.94 €8.91

39.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$30.67 €27.49

9.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$47.99 €43.01

7.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$40.76 €36.53

-60.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.06 €8.12

21.30%

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

$917 €821

$753 €675

21.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.7K €10.5K

41.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$109 €98.0

-20.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$34.06 €30.52

13.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$112 €100.0

-5.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$134 €120

-10.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$791 €709

114.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$650 €583

108.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,368 €1,226

90.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$997 €894

106.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,746 €3,357

84.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,286 €2,048

124.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,911 €1,713

15.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.26

0.61%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Trieste: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Trieste

$650 34.5% 52% $705

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Trieste

$363 19.2% 12.7% $41

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Trieste

$304 16.1% 13.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Trieste

$258 13.7% 13.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Trieste

$175 9.3% 10.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Trieste

$66 3.5% 10.1% $7.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Trieste

$69 3.7% 42.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $791 in Trieste. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 16% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $66 in Trieste. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $363, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Trieste

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

200,609

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Trieste 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Trieste

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 Trieste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,885 in Trieste, so Trieste is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $791 in Trieste. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $753 in Trieste. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 42% less than in Trieste. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Trieste are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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