Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zakynthos

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakynthos: $1,703 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Zakynthos
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Zakynthos Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Zakynthos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zakynthos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,703 in Zakynthos.

Barcelona $2,453
Zakynthos $1,703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,575 in Zakynthos.

Barcelona $3,509
Zakynthos $2,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,447 in Zakynthos.

Barcelona $4,564
Zakynthos $3,447

Living in Barcelona is roughly 44% more expensive than in Zakynthos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Zakynthos 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$28.49 €25.53

-38.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$55.3 €49.55

22.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.11 €9.95

21.78%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.52 €4.05

-29.42%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$5.70 €5.11

-48.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.58 €0.52

225.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.07 €4.54

-20.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.55 €5.87

-30.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.38 €2.13

-44.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.98 €1.78

2.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.69 €2.41

-31.23%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.58 €4.11

5.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$14.71 €13.18

13.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$15.19 €13.61

-39.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$12.06 €10.81

62.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.72 €3.34

-19.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.08 €1.86

-2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.35 €1.21

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.10 €1.88

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.13 €1.01

84.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.10 €0.98

88.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.08 €0.97

35.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.98 €1.78

-52.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$5.31 €4.76

29.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.20 €6.45

9.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.76 €1.58

-19.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.64 €2.37

-3.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.93 €1.73

62.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$49.55 €44.40

-48.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.25 €3.81

-29.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.09 €0.98

36.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$15.49 €13.88

115.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.99 €1.78

-9.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.6K €24.8K

20.09%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.5K €23.7K

19.70%

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

$180 €162

$205 €183

-11.88%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$41.59 €37.27

-66.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$30.65 €27.47

9.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$50.7 €45.41

1.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$25.86 €23.17

-38.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.86 €8.83

11.46%

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

$917 €821

$406 €364

125.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,882 €7,959

85.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$113 €102

-23.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$40.22 €36.04

-4.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$122 €110

-13.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$141 €126

-15.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$392 €352

332.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$383 €344

253.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$768 €688

238.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$560 €502

268.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,434 €2,181

184.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,942 €1,740

164.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,307 €1,171

69.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.48

-26.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zakynthos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Zakynthos

$383 22.5% 71.7% $972

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Zakynthos

$338 19.9% 5.1% $16

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Zakynthos

$379 22.3% 41.5% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Zakynthos

$277 16.3% 21.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Zakynthos

$188 11% 18.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Zakynthos

$70 4.1% 4.2% $3.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Zakynthos

$67 3.9% 38.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $392 in Zakynthos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 69% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $55 in Zakynthos. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $338, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇷 Zakynthos

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

02:02 2:02 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

39,015

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Zakynthos 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zakynthos

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 Zakynthos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,703 in Zakynthos, so Zakynthos is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% higher in Barcelona, 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 $392 in Zakynthos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $406 in Zakynthos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,703 in Zakynthos versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zakynthos but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zakynthos 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 Zakynthos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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