Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Utsunomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Utsunomiya: $1,316 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Utsunomiya, Japan
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Utsunomiya
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,316
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Utsunomiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,316 in Utsunomiya.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Utsunomiya $1,316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,971 in Utsunomiya.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Utsunomiya $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,625 in Utsunomiya.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Utsunomiya $2,625

Living in Barcelona is roughly 86% more expensive than in Utsunomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Utsunomiya is 3% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Utsunomiya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.80
$6.07 ¥958
189.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.6
$16.88 ¥2,666
299.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.15
$4.86 ¥768
178.40%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.87
$3.52 ¥556
-9.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.62
$1.07 ¥169
171.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$0.84 ¥133
125.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.60
$3.11 ¥490
28.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.07
$1.86 ¥293
143.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Utsunomiya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.45 ¥229
-9.66%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.67 ¥264
20.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$5.63 ¥888
-67.14%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.34
$2.25 ¥356
114.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.03
$11.56 ¥1,825
44.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.19
$6.80 ¥1,074
34.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.64
$16.74 ¥2,644
17.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.68
$4.85 ¥766
-38.56%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$2.27 ¥358
-11.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.43
$4.25 ¥672
-36.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.52
$5.27 ¥832
-46.87%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$3.40 ¥536
-38.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.86
$3.01 ¥476
-31.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.18 ¥187
23.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.79 ¥124
18.99%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.17
$3.96 ¥626
73.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.08
$9.70 ¥1,531
-18.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.68 ¥265
-16.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.28
$2.75 ¥434
-7.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Utsunomiya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$1.25 ¥198
151.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.86
$64.4 ¥10.2K
-60.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.69
$3.08 ¥486
-2.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$3.13 ¥495
-52.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.98
$18.99 ¥2,998
75.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.06 ¥167
69.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.8K
$22.8K ¥3.6M
45.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.5K
$15.2K ¥2.4M
108.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Utsunomiya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$150 ¥23.6K
20.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.43
$23.41 ¥3,696
-40.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.27
$30.11 ¥4,754
11.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Utsunomiya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.27
$50.5 ¥7,980
1.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.34
$12.49 ¥1,972
27.78%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.88
$13.12 ¥2,072
-16.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Utsunomiya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €823
$1,408 ¥222.3K
-34.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$18.2K ¥2.9M
-9.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Utsunomiya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.2
$55.1 ¥8,694
58.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.59
$32.60 ¥5,148
18.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €95.1
$64.8 ¥10.2K
63.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €108
$72.1 ¥11.4K
65.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Utsunomiya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,527
$609 ¥96.2K
179.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,217
$388 ¥61.3K
248.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,338
$893 ¥141.0K
191.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,853
$721 ¥113.9K
185.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,211
$3,783 ¥597.2K
82.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,606
$2,111 ¥333.3K
142.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Utsunomiya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,986
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
2.25
45.78%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Utsunomiya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Utsunomiya
$388 71.3% $967
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Utsunomiya
$327 1.5% $4.8
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Utsunomiya
$132 50.6% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Utsunomiya
$203 10.9% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Utsunomiya
$101 36% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Utsunomiya
$77 4.5% $3.3
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Utsunomiya
$88 81.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $609 in Utsunomiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $17 in Utsunomiya. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $327, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇯🇵 Utsunomiya
🕒 Local time
00:04 12:04 AM
08:04 8:04 AM
8 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
519,217
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Utsunomiya 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Utsunomiya

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 Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Utsunomiya?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,316 in Utsunomiya, so Utsunomiya is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Utsunomiya?
You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,974 in Utsunomiya 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 Utsunomiya?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $609 in Utsunomiya. 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 Utsunomiya?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,408 in Utsunomiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Utsunomiya – a meal for two runs $17 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,316 in Utsunomiya versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Utsunomiya but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Utsunomiya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Utsunomiya?
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 Utsunomiya safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Utsunomiya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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