Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsu: $1,287 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tsu
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Tsu Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Tsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Tsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,287 in Tsu.

Barcelona $2,453
Tsu $1,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,999 in Tsu.

Barcelona $3,509
Tsu $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,710 in Tsu.

Barcelona $4,564
Tsu $2,710

Living in Barcelona is roughly 91% more expensive than in Tsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Tsu is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$6.22 ¥982

182.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$17.49 ¥2,763

285.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$3.91 ¥617

246.04%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.34 ¥369

36.32%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$1.14 ¥181

155.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.58 ¥90.9

225.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$2.10 ¥331

90.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$2.35 ¥372

92.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.58 ¥249

-17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.28 ¥203

57.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$5.63 ¥889

-67.14%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$2.02 ¥319

139.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$12.56 ¥1,984

33.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$9.77 ¥1,543

-6.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$32.52 ¥5,135

-39.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.68 ¥581

-19.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.29 ¥362

-11.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$6.41 ¥1,012

-57.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.17 ¥659

-32.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$3.84 ¥607

-45.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.47 ¥548

-40.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.30 ¥205

12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.03 ¥163

-8.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$3.53 ¥558

94.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$8.37 ¥1,322

-5.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.04 ¥323

-30.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.47 ¥233

72.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$1.48 ¥234

112.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$56.5 ¥8,926

-54.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.23 ¥509

-7.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$3.22 ¥509

-53.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$26.97 ¥4,259

23.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.04 ¥164

73.08%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$19.0K ¥3.0M

74.77%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$16.7K ¥2.6M

89.46%

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

$180 €161

$145 ¥22.8K

24.75%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$24.21 ¥3,824

-42.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$43.47 ¥6,866

-22.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$51.3 ¥8,107

0.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$12.93 ¥2,042

23.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$8.34 ¥1,317

31.77%

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

$917 €818

$322 ¥50.8K

184.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$6,217 ¥981.8K

165.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$49.15 ¥7,762

77.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$25.83 ¥4,079

49.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$46.87 ¥7,403

125.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$65.4 ¥10.3K

83.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$544 ¥85.9K

212.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$342 ¥53.9K

296.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,021 ¥161.2K

155.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$738 ¥116.6K

179.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,287 ¥677.0K

61.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,268 ¥358.3K

126.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,511 ¥238.6K

46.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

1.9

72.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tsu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Tsu

$342 26.5% 74.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Tsu

$388 30.1% 20.5% $66

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Tsu

$112 8.7% 58.4% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Tsu

$212 16.5% 6.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Tsu

$84 6.5% 46.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Tsu

$68 5.3% 7.5% $5.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Tsu

$82 6.4% 68.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $544 in Tsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 46% 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 $17 in Tsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $388, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Tsu

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

01:45 1:45 AM

8 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

279,241

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Tsu 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Tsu

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 Tsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,287 in Tsu, so Tsu is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% 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 $544 in Tsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $322 in Tsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tsu 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 Tsu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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