Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chartres and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Chartres: $1,745 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chartres, France
Barcelona, Spain
Chartres
🇫🇷 France
$1,745
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,745 in Chartres versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

  • Chartres $1,745
  • Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,654 in Chartres versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

  • Chartres $2,654
  • Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,562 in Chartres versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

  • Chartres $3,562
  • Barcelona $4,564

Living in Chartres costs roughly 29% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chartres 28% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chartres
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.66 €13.17
$17.59 €15.80
-16.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.78 €44.72
$67.5 €60.6
-26.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.72 €9.63
$13.53 €12.15
-20.77%
Cappuccino
$2.65 €2.38
$3.19 €2.87
-16.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 €2.79
$2.91 €2.62
6.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.89 €1.70
-19.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.61 €7.73
$4.01 €3.60
114.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.68 €5.10
$4.53 €4.07
25.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chartres
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.35 €1.21
$1.31 €1.17
3.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.74 €1.57
$2.02 €1.81
-13.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.57 €2.31
$1.85 €1.66
38.92%
Eggs
$3.98 €3.58
$4.83 €4.34
-17.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 €9.15
$16.74 €15.03
-39.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.82 €10.61
$9.12 €8.19
29.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.18 €14.54
$19.64 €17.64
-17.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 €2.77
$2.98 €2.68
3.36%
Banana (1kg)
$3.14 €2.82
$2.02 €1.81
55.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 €1.31
$2.70 €2.43
-45.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.31 €3.87
$2.80 €2.52
53.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.80 €1.62
$2.09 €1.87
-13.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.09 €1.88
$2.07 €1.86
0.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.64 €1.48
$1.46 €1.31
12.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.13 €0.12
$0.94 €0.84
-86.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.69 €11.40
$6.87 €6.17
84.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.52 €4.96
$7.89 €7.08
-30.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 €1.26
$1.41 €1.26
-0.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 €1.41
$2.54 €2.28
-38.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Chartres
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.97 €1.77
$3.14 €2.82
-37.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.28 €44.27
$25.45 €22.86
93.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.33 €2.09
$2.99 €2.69
-22.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.11 €1.00
$1.49 €1.34
-25.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.85 €29.51
$33.37 €29.98
-1.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.17 €1.95
$1.80 €1.61
20.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.9K €15.2K
$33.2K €29.8K
-48.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K €21.5K
$31.7K €28.5K
-24.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chartres
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 €182
$180 €162
12.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.60 €19.40
$13.84 €12.43
56.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.27 €28.98
$33.70 €30.27
-4.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chartres
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.65 €32.02
$51.5 €46.27
-30.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.16 €11.82
$15.96 €14.34
-17.54%
Cinema Ticket
$15.46 €13.89
$10.99 €9.88
40.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chartres
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$886 €796
$917 €823
-3.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K €10.8K
$16.5K €14.8K
-27.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chartres
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$128 €115
$87.0 €78.2
47.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.44 €41.71
$38.51 €34.59
20.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.4
$106 €95.1
-3.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.5 €87.6
$120 €108
-18.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chartres
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 €679
$1,699 €1,527
-55.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$639 €574
$1,355 €1,217
-52.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,445 €1,298
$2,603 €2,338
-44.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 €1,051
$2,062 €1,853
-43.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,188 €3,762
$6,915 €6,211
-39.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,043 €1,835
$5,128 €4,606
-60.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chartres
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,211 €1,986
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.9
3.28
18.90%

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

Last update for Chartres: 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
Chartres
$639
Barcelona
$1.4K 112% $716
Groceries & Markets
Chartres
$296
Barcelona
$322 8.8% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chartres
$256
Barcelona
$228 11.1% $28
Eating Out
Chartres
$254
Barcelona
$268 5.4% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Chartres
$168
Barcelona
$158 6.1% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Chartres
$67
Barcelona
$74 10.4% $6.9
Getting Around
Chartres
$65
Barcelona
$48 25.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Chartres and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50 in Chartres vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $296 vs $322 per month, with Chartres cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇫🇷 Chartres
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
18:58 6:58 PM
18:58 6:58 PM
Same time as Chartres
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
38,447
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chartres Barcelona 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chartres
  • 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
Chartres vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Chartres and in Barcelona?
Chartres and Barcelona differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,745 vs $2,453 including rent). Chartres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Chartres compared to Barcelona?
You’d need roughly $2,618 in Chartres and $3,679 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Chartres and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Chartres versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Chartres and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $886 in Chartres versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,745 in Chartres versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chartres but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Chartres the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Chartres and Barcelona?
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.
Is Chartres or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Chartres 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.

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