Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Besancon: $1,754 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,754

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Besancon and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Besancon and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,754 in Besancon versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Besancon $1,754
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,541 in Besancon versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Besancon $2,541
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,328 in Besancon versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Besancon $3,328
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Besancon costs roughly 28% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Besancon 29% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €15.04

$17.59 €15.76

-4.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 €49.15

$67.5 €60.5

-18.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.91

$13.53 €12.12

-18.26%

Cappuccino

$3.00 €2.69

$3.19 €2.86

-5.96%

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

$2.32 €2.08

$2.91 €2.61

-20.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.89 €1.70

-16.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.92

$4.01 €3.59

64.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €5.13

$4.53 €4.06

26.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.31 €1.17

-3.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.02 €1.81

-18.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.85 €1.66

15.68%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.07

$4.83 €4.33

-6.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.49 €18.36

$16.74 €15.00

22.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 €9.96

$9.12 €8.17

21.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.32 €16.42

$19.64 €17.60

-6.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.98 €2.67

-10.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.02 €1.81

8.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.70 €2.42

5.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.22

$2.80 €2.51

-11.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.09 €1.87

16.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.07 €1.85

16.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.46 €1.31

-5.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.94 €0.84

19.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 €12.71

$6.87 €6.16

106.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.47 €8.49

$7.89 €7.07

20.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.76 €4.27

$1.41 €1.26

237.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.54 €2.27

27.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.57

$3.14 €2.82

-44.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.76 €39.21

$25.45 €22.80

71.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.79

$2.99 €2.68

4.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.49 €1.34

40.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.39 €27.23

$33.37 €29.91

-8.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.80 €1.61

15.56%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$33.2K €29.7K

6.30%

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

$38.5K €34.5K

$31.7K €28.4K

21.42%

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

$228 €204

$180 €162

26.22%

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

$14.33 €12.84

$13.84 €12.40

3.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.37 €30.80

$33.70 €30.20

1.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.49 €23.74

$51.5 €46.16

-48.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 €17.69

$15.96 €14.30

23.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 €9.83

$10.99 €9.85

-0.18%

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

$333 €298

$917 €821

-63.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,365 €6,600

$16.5K €14.8K

-55.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.6 €86.5

$87.0 €78.0

10.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.88 €34.84

$38.51 €34.51

0.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 €83.3

$106 €94.8

-12.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$120 €107

2.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 €590

$1,699 €1,523

-61.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 €524

$1,355 €1,214

-56.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 €880

$2,603 €2,332

-62.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 €723

$2,062 €1,848

-60.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,858 €2,561

$6,915 €6,196

-58.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,234 €2,002

$5,128 €4,595

-56.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,139 €1,917

$2,211 €1,981

-3.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

3.28

10.37%

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

Last update for Besancon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Besancon

$585 33.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 132% $770

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$358 20.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 10.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$276 15.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 17.5% $48

Eating Out

Besancon

$264 15%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 1.7% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$158 9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Besancon

$64 3.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 24.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$48 2.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 51.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $658 in Besancon and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 3% 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: $55 in Besancon vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

Same time as Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Besancon Barcelona 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
Barcelona

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

Besancon vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,754 in Besancon and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Besancon is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Besancon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $658 in Besancon versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $333 in Besancon versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,754 in Besancon versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon 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, Besancon and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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