Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zabbar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabbar: $1,820 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Zabbar
Learn more

Zabbar Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Zabbar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zabbar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,820 in Zabbar.

Barcelona $2,453
Zabbar $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,669 in Zabbar.

Barcelona $3,509
Zabbar $2,669

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,517 in Zabbar.

Barcelona $4,564
Zabbar $3,517

Living in Barcelona is roughly 35% more expensive than in Zabbar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Zabbar 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$16.92 €15.10

3.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$38.62 €34.46

74.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$7.71 €6.88

75.49%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$2.68 €2.39

19.03%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.29 €2.05

27.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.65 €0.58

190.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$2.22 €1.98

80.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$4.42 €3.94

2.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.10 €0.98

19.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.58 €0.51

248.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.09 €0.97

69.72%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.99 €3.56

21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$5.50 €4.91

204.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$4.44 €3.96

105.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$10.17 €9.07

93.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$4.16 €3.71

-28.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.82 €2.51

-28.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$3.65 €3.25

-26.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.37 €3.01

-16.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.30 €2.05

-9.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.86 €1.66

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.27 €2.03

-35.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.15 €1.03

-18.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$6.58 €5.87

4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$7.93 €7.08

-0.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.62 €1.45

-12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.34 €2.09

8.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$2.52 €2.25

24.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$16.80 €14.99

51.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$4.80 €4.28

-37.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.26 €2.02

-34.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$26.39 €23.54

26.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.49 €1.33

20.81%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$38.1K €34.0K

-12.97%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$38.2K €34.1K

-17.10%

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

$180 €161

$104 €93.0

73.15%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$24.98 €22.29

-44.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$43.67 €38.96

-22.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$64.9 €57.9

-20.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$11.35 €10.12

40.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$10.22 €9.12

7.53%

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

$917 €818

$373 €333

145.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$2,245 €2,003

633.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$88.1 €78.6

-1.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$41.17 €36.73

-6.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$98.8 €88.1

7.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$78.2 €69.8

52.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,147 €1,023

48.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$921 €822

47.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,795 €1,602

44.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,528 €1,363

34.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,048 €3,611

70.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$4,152 €3,705

23.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,095 €977

101.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.9

13.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zabbar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Zabbar

$921 50.6% 32% $434

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Zabbar

$238 13.1% 26.2% $84

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Zabbar

$222 12.2% 17% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Zabbar

$173 9.5% 24.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Zabbar

$138 7.6% 12.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Zabbar

$85 4.7% 16.2% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Zabbar

$43 2.4% 11.3% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,147 in Zabbar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $39 in Zabbar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $238 per month, with Zabbar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇹 Zabbar

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

15,404

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Zabbar 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zabbar

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 Zabbar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,820 in Zabbar, so Zabbar is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 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 $1,147 in Zabbar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $373 in Zabbar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Zabbar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Zabbar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Zabbar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.