Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Vichy

For one person, living is cheaper in Vichy: $1,409 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Vichy
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Vichy Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Vichy

🇫🇷 France

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Vichy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,468 in Vichy.

Barcelona $2,399
Vichy $1,468

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,201 in Vichy.

Barcelona $3,410
Vichy $2,201

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $2,933 in Vichy.

Barcelona $4,421
Vichy $2,933

Living in Barcelona is roughly 63% more expensive than in Vichy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Vichy 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$7.75 €6.89

130.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$54.1 €48.15

22.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.44 €6.62

84.01%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.62 €2.33

16.79%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.73 €2.43

12.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.32 €1.18

46.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.65 €5.02

-31.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.71 €4.19

-2.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.93 €0.83

39.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.78 €1.58

17.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.75 €1.56

4.57%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.97 €1.76

134.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$23.42 €20.84

-25.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$5.73 €5.10

61.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$7.14 €6.35

177.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.25 €1.11

140.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.92 €1.71

5.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.72 €2.42

-2.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.97 €1.75

45.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.37 €1.22

57.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.08 €0.96

99.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.12 €1.00

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.37 €0.33

137.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$10.74 €9.55

-35.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$3.53 €3.14

121.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.30 €2.04

-39.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.47 €2.20

6.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.94 €1.73

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$47.51 €42.26

-46.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$5.01 €4.46

-40.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.10 €1.87

-31.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$33.64 €29.92

-1.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.09 €1.86

-11.00%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$36.1K €32.1K

-10.31%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$32.6K €29.0K

-2.77%

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

$183 €163

$138 €122

32.88%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$13.48 €11.99

0.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$32.18 €28.62

2.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$35.19 €31.30

55.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.07 €8.07

23.81%

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

$954 €849

$782 €696

21.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$10.0K €8,908

65.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$67.7 €60.2

27.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$28.41 €25.27

37.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$61.1 €54.4

69.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$46.78 €41.61

153.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$744 €661

127.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$600 €534

112.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,373 €1,221

87.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,109 €986

73.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,873 €3,445

88.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,025 €2,691

65.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,600 €1,423

39.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.79

-13.46%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Vichy: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Vichy

$600 42.6% 53% $676

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Vichy

$240 17% 26.3% $85

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Vichy

$170 12% 37.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Vichy

$183 13% 20.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Vichy

$92 6.5% 41.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Vichy

$53 3.8% 30.9% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Vichy

$71 5% 49.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $746 in Vichy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 39% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $55.0 in Vichy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $242 per month, with Vichy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Vichy

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

25,789

💱 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 Vichy 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Vichy

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 Vichy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Vichy differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,468 including rent). Vichy is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $746 in Vichy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $790 in Vichy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,468 in Vichy versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Vichy but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Vichy the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Vichy are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Vichy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.