Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Yamaguchi

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamaguchi: $1,202 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Yamaguchi, Japan
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Yamaguchi
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Yamaguchi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,202 in Yamaguchi.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Yamaguchi $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,849 in Yamaguchi.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Yamaguchi $1,849

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,495 in Yamaguchi.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Yamaguchi $2,495

Living in Barcelona is roughly 104% more expensive than in Yamaguchi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Yamaguchi is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Yamaguchi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.80
$3.80 ¥600
362.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.6
$31.96 ¥5,047
111.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.15
$5.02 ¥793
169.52%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.87
$3.71 ¥586
-14.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.62
$1.05 ¥166
177.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$0.75 ¥118
152.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.60
$3.88 ¥612
3.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.07
$2.21 ¥349
104.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Yamaguchi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.55 ¥245
-15.48%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.83 ¥288
10.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$6.61 ¥1,044
-72.01%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.34
$2.21 ¥349
118.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.03
$18.53 ¥2,926
-9.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.19
$5.28 ¥833
72.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.64
$19.00 ¥3,001
3.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.68
$3.71 ¥586
-19.68%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.87 ¥295
8.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.43
$2.82 ¥445
-4.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.52
$3.26 ¥515
-14.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$2.22 ¥351
-5.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.86
$2.54 ¥401
-18.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.08 ¥171
35.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.93 ¥147
1.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.17
$4.04 ¥638
70.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.08
$6.20 ¥979
27.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.67 ¥263
-15.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.28
$1.91 ¥302
32.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Yamaguchi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$1.48 ¥234
112.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.86
$50.8 ¥8,016
-49.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.69
$4.00 ¥631
-25.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$2.42 ¥382
-38.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.98
$17.73 ¥2,799
88.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.07 ¥169
68.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.8K
$22.5K ¥3.6M
47.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.5K
$15.3K ¥2.4M
106.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Yamaguchi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$214 ¥33.8K
-15.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.43
$24.94 ¥3,938
-44.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.27
$33.47 ¥5,284
0.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Yamaguchi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.27
$52.7 ¥8,321
-2.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.34
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.88
$12.67 ¥2,000
-13.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Yamaguchi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €823
$695 ¥109.8K
31.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$12.1K ¥1.9M
36.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Yamaguchi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.2
$48.71 ¥7,690
78.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.59
$25.97 ¥4,101
48.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €95.1
$65.8 ¥10.4K
60.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €108
$47.76 ¥7,541
150.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Yamaguchi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,527
$409 ¥64.6K
315.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,217
$256 ¥40.4K
429.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,338
$806 ¥127.2K
223.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,853
$572 ¥90.3K
260.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,211
$4,869 ¥768.8K
42.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,606
$2,007 ¥316.8K
155.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Yamaguchi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,986
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
1.97
66.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Yamaguchi
$256 81.1% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Yamaguchi
$317 1.4% $4.6
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Yamaguchi
$121 54.9% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Yamaguchi
$272 19.5% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Yamaguchi
$85 46.4% $73
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Yamaguchi
$78 6.2% $4.5
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Yamaguchi
$73 50.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $409 in Yamaguchi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $32 in Yamaguchi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $317 per month, with Yamaguchi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇯🇵 Yamaguchi
🕒 Local time
23:09 11:09 PM
07:09 7:09 AM
8 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
193,966
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Yamaguchi 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Yamaguchi

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 Yamaguchi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Yamaguchi?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,202 in Yamaguchi, so Yamaguchi is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Yamaguchi?
You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,803 in Yamaguchi 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 Yamaguchi?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $409 in Yamaguchi. 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 Yamaguchi?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $695 in Yamaguchi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Yamaguchi – a meal for two runs $32 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Yamaguchi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Yamaguchi?
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 Yamaguchi safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Yamaguchi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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