Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zaragoza

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $1,694 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zaragoza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,694 in Zaragoza.

Barcelona $2,399
Zaragoza $1,694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,478 in Zaragoza.

Barcelona $3,410
Zaragoza $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,263 in Zaragoza.

Barcelona $4,421
Zaragoza $3,263

Living in Barcelona is roughly 42% more expensive than in Zaragoza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Zaragoza 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$16.54 €14.72

8.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$56.9 €50.6

19.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$11.27 €10.03

17.83%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.12 €1.89

53.30%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.43 €2.16

23.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.54 €1.37

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.43 €3.05

12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$3.30 €2.93

35.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.19 €1.06

8.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.95 €1.74

4.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.49 €1.32

15.44%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$2.81 €2.50

69.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$16.17 €14.39

3.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$8.98 €7.98

-0.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$21.00 €18.68

-5.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.67 €2.37

11.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.50 €2.23

-18.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.60 €2.31

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.08 €2.74

-12.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.00 €1.78

5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.24 €1.99

-7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.77 €1.57

-18.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.73 €0.65

21.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.12 €5.44

13.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$4.38 €3.90

77.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.92 €0.82

57.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.45 €3.07

-25.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.69 €1.50

76.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$31.91 €28.38

-21.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.32 €2.06

34.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.06 €0.94

35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$29.17 €25.95

14.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.77 €1.58

1.13%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.6K €31.6K

-2.61%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$29.3K €26.1K

2.54%

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

$178 €158

$161 €144

10.16%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$11.52 €10.25

15.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$21.33 €18.97

63.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$35.72 €31.78

49.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$14.36 €12.77

11.49%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$9.10 €8.09

21.54%

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

$957 €851

$493 €439

93.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$7,876 €7,006

110.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$89.5 €79.6

-1.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$38.48 €34.23

2.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$100 €89.0

2.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$113 €101

7.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$810 €721

104.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$709 €630

83.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,288 €1,145

98.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,009 €898

89.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,196 €2,843

127.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,944 €1,729

161.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,009 €1,787

13.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.46

-5.20%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zaragoza: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Zaragoza

$709 41.8% 45.6% $593

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Zaragoza

$306 18.1% 4.5% $14

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Zaragoza

$231 13.7% 14.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Zaragoza

$194 11.5% 14.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Zaragoza

$154 9.1% 3% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Zaragoza

$54 3.2% 28.5% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Zaragoza

$46 2.7% 2.5% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $810 in Zaragoza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $57.0 in Zaragoza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $306 per month, with Zaragoza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

682,513

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Zaragoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Zaragoza differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,694 including rent). Zaragoza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $810 in Zaragoza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $493 in Zaragoza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,694 in Zaragoza versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Zaragoza but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zaragoza gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.