Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Villeurbanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Villeurbanne: $1,940 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Villeurbanne
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Villeurbanne Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Villeurbanne

🇫🇷 France

$1,940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Villeurbanne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,940 in Villeurbanne.

Barcelona $2,399
Villeurbanne $1,940

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,822 in Villeurbanne.

Barcelona $3,410
Villeurbanne $2,822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,704 in Villeurbanne.

Barcelona $4,421
Villeurbanne $3,704

Living in Barcelona is roughly 24% more expensive than in Villeurbanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Villeurbanne 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$16.54 €14.71

8.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$66.1 €58.8

2.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$13.45 €11.96

-1.26%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.11 €3.66

-20.92%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.77 €2.46

8.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.72 €1.53

8.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$7.86 €6.99

-51.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$6.12 €5.45

-26.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.25 €1.11

3.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.71 €1.52

19.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.47 €2.19

-30.36%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.80 €4.27

-0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$22.69 €20.19

-26.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$12.13 €10.79

-26.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$23.09 €20.54

-13.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.35 €2.09

26.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.50 €2.22

-18.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.83 €2.52

-3.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.03 €2.70

-11.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.58 €2.30

-18.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.01 €2.67

-30.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.42 €1.26

2.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.83 €0.74

7.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$13.45 €11.96

-48.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$7.79 €6.93

-0.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.73 €2.42

-46.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.21 €2.85

-19.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.32 €2.06

28.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$80.6 €71.7

-68.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.83 €2.52

10.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.24 €2.00

-35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$41.58 €36.98

-19.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.18 €1.94

-17.89%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$34.8K €31.0K

-0.56%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$34.6K €30.7K

-13.00%

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

$178 €158

$232 €206

-23.28%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$18.46 €16.42

-27.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$35.22 €31.33

-0.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$35.65 €31.71

49.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$14.31 €12.73

-22.71%

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

$957 €851

$633 €563

51.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$11.5K €10.2K

44.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$108 €96.2

-18.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$43.18 €38.41

-8.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$106 €94.0

-2.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$124 €110

-2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,011 €899

63.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$649 €577

100.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,136 €1,010

125.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$882 €784

117.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,919 €3,486

85.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,017 €2,684

68.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$4,178 €3,716

-45.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.77

-13.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Villeurbanne: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Villeurbanne

$649 33.4% 50.2% $653

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Villeurbanne

$375 19.3% 17.1% $55

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Villeurbanne

$291 15% 7.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Villeurbanne

$286 14.7% 26.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Villeurbanne

$171 8.8% 8.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Villeurbanne

$64 3.3% 14.7% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Villeurbanne

$104 5.4% 119% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,011 in Villeurbanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Villeurbanne pays 83% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $66.0 in Villeurbanne. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $375, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇫🇷 Villeurbanne

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

156,928

💱 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 Villeurbanne 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Villeurbanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Villeurbanne differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,940 including rent). Villeurbanne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Villeurbanne. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,011 in Villeurbanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $633 in Villeurbanne. 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.

At $1,940 in Villeurbanne versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Villeurbanne but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Villeurbanne 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 Villeurbanne 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 Villeurbanne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.