Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Venice

For one person, living is cheaper in Venice: $2,122 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Venice
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Venice Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Venice

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Venice

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,122 in Venice.

Barcelona $2,453
Venice $2,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,228 in Venice.

Barcelona $3,509
Venice $3,228

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,335 in Venice.

Barcelona $4,564
Venice $4,335

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Venice 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.16 €19.86

-20.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$96.3 €86.3

-29.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.32 €11.04

9.82%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.16 €1.94

47.69%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.51 €3.15

-17.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.93 €1.73

-2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.52 €5.84

-38.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.46 €4.89

-17.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.91 €1.71

-31.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.73 €2.45

-26.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.83 €3.43

-51.70%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.13 €4.60

-5.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$14.80 €13.26

13.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$15.83 €14.18

-42.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$28.39 €25.44

-30.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.60 €3.23

-17.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.02 €2.71

-33.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.90 €2.60

-6.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.33 €4.77

-47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.99 €1.78

5.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.09 €1.87

-0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.09 €1.87

-30.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.70 €0.62

34.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.65 €5.96

3.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.76 €6.06

16.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.74 €1.56

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.28 €2.04

11.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.73 €1.55

81.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$41.33 €37.04

-38.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.58 €4.10

-34.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.75 €1.57

-14.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$33.45 €29.98

-0.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.11 €1.89

-14.69%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.6K €31.9K

-6.77%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.7K €33.8K

-15.86%

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

$180 €162

$276 €247

-34.58%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$10.01 €8.97

38.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$33.57 €30.08

0.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$79.5 €71.2

-35.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$23.30 €20.88

-31.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.37 €10.19

-3.34%

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

$917 €821

$626 €561

46.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$6,832 €6,122

141.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$93.5 €83.8

-6.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$37.26 €33.39

3.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$121 €108

-12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$174 €156

-31.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,295 €1,161

31.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$723 €648

87.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,764 €2,476

-5.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,122 €1,005

83.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$6,816 €6,108

1.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,932 €2,628

74.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,678 €1,504

31.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.15

4.13%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Venice: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Venice

$723 34.1% 46.6% $632

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Venice

$419 19.7% 30.2% $97

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Venice

$305 14.4% 14% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Venice

$319 15.1% 40.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Venice

$191 9% 21.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Venice

$102 4.8% 39.1% $29

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Venice

$62 2.9% 27% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,295 in Venice. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $96 in Venice for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $419 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇹 Venice

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

43,879

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Venice 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Venice

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 Venice: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,122 in Venice, so Venice is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% 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 $1,295 in Venice. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $626 in Venice. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

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