Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Varese

For one person, living is cheaper in Varese: $2,113 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Varese
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Varese Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Varese

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Varese

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,113 in Varese.

Barcelona $2,453
Varese $2,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,466 in Varese.

Barcelona $3,509
Varese $3,466

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,818 in Varese.

Barcelona $4,564
Varese $4,818

Living in Barcelona is roughly 16% more expensive than in Varese, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Varese 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$22.68 €20.31

-22.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$102 €91.7

-34.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.26 €11.88

2.04%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.25 €2.02

41.78%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.54 €3.17

-17.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.63 €1.46

15.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.61 €5.92

-39.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.53 €5.85

-30.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.71 €1.53

-23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.59 €2.32

-22.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.55 €3.18

-47.89%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.01 €4.48

-3.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$31.22 €27.96

-46.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.97 €11.62

-29.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$27.61 €24.73

-28.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.97 €2.66

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.95 €2.65

-31.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.11 €2.78

-13.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.32 €2.98

-15.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.51 €2.25

-16.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.15 €1.93

-3.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.22 €1.99

-34.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.64 €0.57

46.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$7.79 €6.98

-11.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$9.03 €8.09

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.75 €1.57

-19.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.68 €1.50

51.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.66 €2.38

18.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$49.50 €44.33

-48.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.55 €4.97

-46.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.26 €2.02

-34.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$39.89 €35.73

-16.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.15 €1.92

-16.28%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$36.9K €33.1K

-10.15%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$34.7K €31.1K

-8.72%

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

$180 €162

$219 €197

-17.78%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$12.64 €11.32

9.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$32.96 €29.52

2.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$54.4 €48.73

-5.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$24.78 €22.19

-35.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.85 €10.62

-7.26%

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

$917 €821

$726 €650

26.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,098 €6,357

132.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$110 €98.1

-20.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$56.1 €50.2

-31.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$111 €99.3

-4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$161 €144

-25.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$917 €821

85.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$742 €665

82.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,682 €1,506

54.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,569 €1,406

31.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,516 €2,254

174.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$1,712 €1,533

199.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,420 €2,167

-8.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.73

-12.06%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Varese: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Varese

$742 35.1% 45.2% $613

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Varese

$439 20.8% 36.3% $117

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Varese

$315 14.9% 17.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Varese

$265 12.5% 16.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Varese

$197 9.3% 24.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Varese

$78 3.7% 6.3% $4.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Varese

$77 3.6% 58.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $917 in Varese. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varese pays 9% 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 $102 in Varese for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $439 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Varese

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

80,511

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Varese 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Varese

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 Varese: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,113 in Varese, so Varese is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% 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 $917 in Varese. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $726 in Varese. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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