Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Xaghra

For one person, living is cheaper in Xaghra: $1,982 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Xaghra, Malta
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Xaghra
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,982
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Xaghra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,982 in Xaghra.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Xaghra $1,982

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,979 in Xaghra.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Xaghra $2,979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,975 in Xaghra.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Xaghra $3,975

Living in Barcelona is roughly 24% more expensive than in Xaghra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Xaghra 46% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Xaghra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.69
$10.02 €8.94
75.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.2
$88.2 €78.7
-23.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.07
$13.56 €12.10
-0.22%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.85
$3.20 €2.85
-0.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.60
$2.35 €2.10
23.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.69
$1.91 €1.70
-1.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.58
$5.57 €4.97
-28.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.04
$6.73 €6.00
-32.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Xaghra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.16
$1.36 €1.22
-3.68%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.45 €1.29
39.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$3.42 €3.05
-45.91%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.31
$1.99 €1.77
142.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €14.93
$10.44 €9.31
60.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.14
$12.20 €10.89
-25.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.52
$18.53 €16.53
5.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.66
$3.76 €3.36
-20.74%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$2.69 €2.40
-24.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.41
$3.80 €3.39
-28.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.50
$3.84 €3.43
-27.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.93 €1.72
8.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$3.26 €2.90
-36.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.30
$2.18 €1.94
-33.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.92 €0.82
2.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.13
$6.31 €5.63
8.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.04
$5.91 €5.28
33.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.25
$2.38 €2.12
-40.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.26
$2.37 €2.11
7.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Xaghra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.80
$2.56 €2.29
22.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.70
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.67
$3.93 €3.51
-23.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.33
$1.83 €1.64
-18.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.78
$32.05 €28.59
4.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.60
$1.51 €1.35
19.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.6K
$28.1K €25.1K
18.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.3K
$38.7K €34.5K
-18.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Xaghra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €161
$155 €138
16.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.35
$31.20 €27.84
-55.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.06
$28.88 €25.77
16.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Xaghra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €45.96
$60.6 €54.1
-15.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.24
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.81
$11.28 €10.06
-2.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Xaghra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €818
$277 €247
231.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.7K
$12.2K €10.8K
35.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Xaghra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €77.7
$56.9 €50.7
53.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.35
$67.5 €60.3
-42.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.4
$112 €100
-5.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$133 €118
-9.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Xaghra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,516
$1,120 €999
51.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,209
$950 €848
42.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,322
$1,745 €1,557
49.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,840
$1,508 €1,346
36.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,169
$4,078 €3,639
69.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,575
$2,542 €2,268
101.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Xaghra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,972
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
4.05
-19.01%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Xaghra: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Xaghra
$950 29.9% $405
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Xaghra
$328 1.8% $5.7
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Xaghra
$217 18.8% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Xaghra
$215 5.8% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Xaghra
$166 5.2% $8.2
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Xaghra
$83 13.2% $9.7
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Xaghra
$23 * 51.8% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,120 in Xaghra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $88 in Xaghra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇲🇹 Xaghra
🕒 Local time
21:08 9:08 PM
21:08 9:08 PM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
4,100
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Xaghra 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Xaghra

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 Xaghra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Xaghra?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,982 in Xaghra, so Xaghra is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Xaghra?
You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,974 in Xaghra to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Xaghra?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,120 in Xaghra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Xaghra?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $277 in Xaghra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more expensive overall: Barcelona or Xaghra?
All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,982 in Xaghra – Xaghra is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $3,000 go in Barcelona compared to Xaghra?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Xaghra gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Xaghra?
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.
Is Barcelona or Xaghra safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Xaghra are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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