Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zagazig

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagazig: $359 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Zagazig, Egypt
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Zagazig
🇪🇬 Egypt
$359
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zagazig

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $359 in Zagazig.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Zagazig $359

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $599 in Zagazig.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Zagazig $599

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $838 in Zagazig.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Zagazig $838

Living in Barcelona is roughly 562% more expensive than in Zagazig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Zagazig is 73% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Zagazig
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.97
$3.65 E£202
390.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €59.1
$14.80 E£818
347.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.22
$4.96 E£274
176.01%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.73
$0.93 E£51.1
229.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.74
$0.27 E£14.84
1037.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$0.14 E£7.80
1285.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.45
$1.46 E£80.7
165.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.11
$2.21 E£122
108.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Zagazig
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$0.75 E£41.18
73.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$0.29 E£16.03
624.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.63
$0.59 E£32.47
210.17%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.13
$1.17 E£64.6
294.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.49
$3.77 E£208
360.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.28
$3.96 E£219
134.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.70
$7.58 E£419
161.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.69
$1.33 E£73.7
126.32%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$0.73 E£40.28
178.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.37
$0.38 E£21.16
597.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.56
$0.23 E£12.48
1147.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$0.38 E£20.99
468.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.92
$0.35 E£19.44
514.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$0.08 E£4.26
1737.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.23 E£12.73
282.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.18
$1.94 E£107
257.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.98
$7.51 E£415
4.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.55 E£85.6
-10.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.35
$2.03 E£112
29.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Zagazig
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.60
$0.11 E£6.05
2545.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.72
$5.41 E£299
370.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.67
$0.21 E£11.86
1328.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.29
$0.18 E£9.78
700.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.63
$1.45 E£80.2
2189.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.66
$0.41 E£22.62
353.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.9K
$33.7K E£1.9M
-3.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.3K
$25.7K E£1.4M
23.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Zagazig
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$14.13 E£780
1193.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.15
$4.84 E£267
181.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.39
$10.27 E£568
220.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Zagazig
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.81
$9.84 E£543
455.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.75
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €10.02
$1.89 E£105
494.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Zagazig
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €852
$118 E£6,500
711.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$3,513 E£194.1K
372.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Zagazig
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.8
$18.90 E£1,044
355.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.90
$48.48 E£2,679
-19.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.5
$111 E£6,140
-6.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$16.86 E£932
603.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Zagazig
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,513
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,139
$36.54 E£2,019
3392.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,299
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,716
$93.5 E£5,164
1956.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,499
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,471
$283 E£15.6K
1670.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Zagazig
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,987
$153 E£8,447
1356.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
10
-67.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zagazig: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Zagazig
$37 97.1% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Zagazig
$117 64.1% $208
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Zagazig
$69 74.6% $201
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Zagazig
$29 87.2% $200
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Zagazig
$88 43.8% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Zagazig
$14 82.3% $64
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Zagazig
$7 85.3% $40

Cost Breakdown

Barcelona pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Barcelona vs $15 in Zagazig for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $117 per month, with Zagazig cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇪🇬 Zagazig
🕒 Local time
07:58 7:58 AM
09:58 9:58 AM
2 h ahead of Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
285,097
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.25 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.99 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Zagazig 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Zagazig

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 Zagazig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Zagazig?
Barcelona and Zagazig differ by about 562% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $359 including rent). Zagazig is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Barcelona or Zagazig?
Average pay in Barcelona is about 15 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Zagazig?
Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $118 in Zagazig. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 179% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $800 per month?
At $359 in Zagazig versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Zagazig but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zagazig the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Zagazig?
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.
How do I decide between Barcelona and Zagazig?
It comes down to priorities – Zagazig wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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