Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Volos

For one person, living is cheaper in Volos: $1,524 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Volos
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Volos Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Volos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Volos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,524 in Volos.

Barcelona $2,453
Volos $1,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,316 in Volos.

Barcelona $3,509
Volos $2,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,108 in Volos.

Barcelona $4,564
Volos $3,108

Living in Barcelona is roughly 61% more expensive than in Volos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Volos 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$20.16 €18.06

-12.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$56.1 €50.3

20.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.18 €9.12

32.91%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.32 €3.87

-26.16%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.78 €2.49

4.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.61 €0.55

209.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.69 €5.10

-29.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.54 €4.96

-18.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.57 €1.41

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.52 €1.36

32.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.82 €2.53

-34.40%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.73 €4.24

2.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.15 €11.78

27.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.05 €9.00

-9.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$14.93 €13.38

31.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.44 €2.19

22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.70 €1.52

58.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.04 €1.83

37.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.89 €0.80

134.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.01 €0.91

104.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.91 €0.82

60.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.05 €0.94

-10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$5.46 €4.89

25.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$9.02 €8.09

-12.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.21 €1.98

-36.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.40 €2.15

5.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.30 €1.17

141.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$59.0 €52.9

-56.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.05 €3.63

-26.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.03 €0.92

44.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$19.38 €17.37

72.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.21 €1.98

-18.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.6K €24.7K

20.34%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$24.4K €21.9K

29.93%

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

$180 €162

$209 €187

-13.69%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$22.57 €20.22

-38.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$29.78 €26.68

13.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$53.8 €48.16

-4.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$45.73 €40.98

-65.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.67 €7.77

26.76%

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

$917 €821

$274 €246

233.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$95.8 €85.8

-9.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$57.9 €51.9

-33.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$86.6 €77.6

22.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$88.8 €79.5

34.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$501 €449

239.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$381 €342

255.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$748 €670

248.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$592 €531

248.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,473 €2,216

179.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,648 €1,477

211.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,015 €910

117.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.47

-26.62%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Volos: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Volos

$381 25% 71.9% $974

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Volos

$292 19.2% 9.3% $30

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Volos

$297 19.5% 10.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Volos

$261 17.2% 14.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Volos

$148 9.7% 6.3% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Volos

$71 4.7% 3.3% $2.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Volos

$73 4.8% 51.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $501 in Volos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $56 in Volos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $292 per month, with Volos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇷 Volos

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

82,439

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Volos 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Volos

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 Volos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,524 in Volos, so Volos is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.2 times higher, 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 $501 in Volos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $274 in Volos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,524 in Volos versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Volos but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Volos 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 Volos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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