Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bourges and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Bourges: $1,929 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in Bourges
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Bourges Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Bourges

🇫🇷 France

$1,929

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bourges 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 Bourges and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,929 in Bourges versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Bourges $1,929
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,000 in Bourges versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Bourges $3,000
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,070 in Bourges versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Bourges $4,070
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Bourges costs roughly 20% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bourges 42% above, Barcelona 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.74 €14.89

$17.89 €15.92

-6.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 €69.7

$66.2 €58.9

18.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.79

$13.69 €12.18

-3.14%

Cappuccino

$5.02 €4.47

$3.06 €2.72

64.05%

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

$4.53 €4.03

$3.07 €2.73

47.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.94 €1.73

40.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 €7.13

$3.87 €3.44

107.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$4.61 €4.10

47.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.30 €1.16

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.10 €1.87

20.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.83 €1.62

21.31%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$4.62 €4.11

-4.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.83 €19.42

$17.36 €15.44

25.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.84 €12.31

$9.28 €8.25

49.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.72 €19.32

$19.83 €17.64

9.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 €2.87

$3.01 €2.68

7.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.03 €1.81

7.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$2.65 €2.36

10.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 €3.85

$2.87 €2.55

50.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.16 €1.92

-15.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.15 €1.91

17.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.47 €1.31

29.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.88 €0.79

2.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.82 €13.18

$6.93 €6.16

113.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 €7.85

$7.83 €6.96

12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.39 €1.24

93.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$2.63 €2.34

33.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.91 €2.59

-31.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.70 €43.32

$25.46 €22.64

91.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 €8.00

$3.00 €2.66

199.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.69 €40.64

$33.20 €29.53

37.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.86 €1.65

22.04%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$32.3K €28.8K

5.96%

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

$38.2K €33.9K

$31.7K €28.2K

20.36%

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

$243 €216

$183 €163

32.85%

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

$7.90 €7.03

$13.61 €12.11

-41.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.39 €26.14

$32.93 €29.29

-10.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.40 €30.60

$54.7 €48.65

-37.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 €12.72

$11.23 €9.99

27.34%

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

$1,780 €1,583

$954 €849

86.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K €23.1K

$16.6K €14.8K

56.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €96.8

$86.0 €76.5

26.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 €46.71

$39.11 €34.78

34.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$104 €92.2

15.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 €141

$119 €106

33.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 €560

$1,695 €1,508

-62.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 €540

$1,276 €1,135

-52.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,039

$2,576 €2,291

-54.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 €1,004

$1,922 €1,710

-41.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,419 €3,931

$7,281 €6,477

-39.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,123 €2,778

$5,010 €4,456

-37.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,768 €2,462

$2,227 €1,981

24.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.28

3.66%

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

Last update for Bourges: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bourges

$607 31.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 110% $669

Groceries & Markets

Bourges

$392 20.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 17.1% $67

Eating Out

Bourges

$317 16.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 14.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bourges

$280 14.5%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 18.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Bourges

$198 10.3%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 20.9% $41

Getting Around

Bourges

$73 3.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 35.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bourges

$63 3.3%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 22.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $630 in Bourges and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bourges pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78.0 in Bourges vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bourges

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

Same time as Bourges

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,702

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

Bourges Barcelona 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bourges
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

Bourges vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bourges and Barcelona differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,929 vs $2,399 including rent). Bourges is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Bourges, 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: $630 in Bourges versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,780 in Bourges versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,929 in Bourges versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bourges but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bourges 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, Bourges and Barcelona 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 Bourges gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.