Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagliari and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagliari: $1,750 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,750

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,750 in Cagliari versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Cagliari $1,750
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Cagliari versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Cagliari $2,736
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,723 in Cagliari versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Cagliari $3,723
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Cagliari costs roughly 27% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cagliari 30% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 €19.84

$17.94 €15.96

24.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 €74.8

$68.1 €60.5

23.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 €9.79

$13.28 €11.81

-17.09%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.76

$3.25 €2.89

-39.08%

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

$3.28 €2.92

$3.01 €2.67

8.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.87 €1.66

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.83

$3.85 €3.42

41.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 €4.51

$4.48 €3.98

13.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.29 €1.15

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.04 €1.81

32.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.72 €1.53

63.95%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.38

$4.77 €4.24

-20.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.46 €19.09

$16.77 €14.92

27.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 €10.53

$8.93 €7.94

32.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.30 €19.83

$19.88 €17.68

12.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.98 €2.65

-11.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.03 €1.80

-12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.73 €2.43

-17.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.12

$2.68 €2.38

30.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.10 €1.87

-8.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.08 €1.85

12.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.45 €1.29

6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.89 €0.79

-41.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.37 €6.55

$6.94 €6.17

6.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 €7.48

$7.78 €6.92

8.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.45 €1.29

12.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.57 €2.29

-29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.99 €2.66

-52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.13 €33.92

$25.20 €22.41

51.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 €8.23

$3.12 €2.77

196.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.44 €1.28

3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.52 €28.04

$33.50 €29.80

-5.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.79 €1.59

15.08%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

2.98%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$30.1K €26.7K

16.83%

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

$157 €140

$178 €158

-11.61%

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

$9.07 €8.07

$13.32 €11.85

-31.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.38

$34.88 €31.03

-14.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 €45.38

$53.3 €47.37

-4.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.59 €21.87

$16.01 €14.24

53.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 €10.06

$11.06 €9.84

2.26%

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

$525 €467

$957 €851

-45.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,007 €7,122

$16.6K €14.7K

-51.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.1 €83.7

$88.2 €78.4

6.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 €37.31

$39.49 €35.12

6.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €80.6

$103 €91.5

-11.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$121 €108

-5.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 €772

$1,653 €1,470

-47.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 €545

$1,302 €1,158

-52.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 €1,241

$2,557 €2,275

-45.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 €895

$1,915 €1,703

-47.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,278 €2,916

$7,286 €6,481

-55.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,315 €2,059

$5,080 €4,519

-54.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,807 €1,607

$2,281 €2,029

-20.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

3.28

-0.30%

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

Last update for Cagliari: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cagliari

$613 35%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 113% $689

Groceries & Markets

Cagliari

$362 20.7%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 11.5% $42

Eating Out

Cagliari

$292 16.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 7.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagliari

$196 11.2%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 15.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Cagliari

$154 8.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 2.9% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Cagliari

$74 4.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 2.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Cagliari

$61 3.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 21.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $868 in Cagliari and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 26% 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: $84.0 in Cagliari vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

Same time as Cagliari

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,478

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

Cagliari Barcelona 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cagliari
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

Cagliari vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cagliari and Barcelona differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,750 vs $2,399 including rent). Cagliari is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Barcelona. 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: $868 in Cagliari versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Cagliari 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 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,750 in Cagliari versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cagliari but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cagliari 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, Cagliari 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 Cagliari gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.