Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chios and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Chios: $1,445 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Chios
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Chios Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Chios

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,445

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,445 in Chios versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Chios $1,445
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,157 in Chios versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Chios $2,157
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,868 in Chios versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Chios $2,868
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Chios costs roughly 39% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chios 7% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.18 €12.61

$17.89 €15.92

-20.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.61 €39.68

$66.2 €58.9

-32.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €12.19

$13.69 €12.18

0.15%

Cappuccino

$3.64 €3.24

$3.06 €2.72

18.95%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$3.07 €2.73

-20.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.94 €1.73

-50.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.39 €3.91

$3.87 €3.44

13.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$4.61 €4.10

-3.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.30 €1.16

18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.10 €1.87

-34.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$1.83 €1.62

45.36%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.22

$4.62 €4.11

2.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.50 €12.01

$17.36 €15.44

-22.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$9.28 €8.25

2.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 €12.76

$19.83 €17.64

-27.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.01 €2.68

-27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.65 €2.36

-47.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.87 €2.55

-30.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.16 €1.92

-47.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$2.15 €1.91

-46.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.47 €1.31

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.88 €0.79

-3.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.85

$6.93 €6.16

-21.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 €6.10

$7.83 €6.96

-12.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.39 €1.24

42.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.63 €2.34

-1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.91 €2.59

-55.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.15 €40.16

$25.46 €22.64

77.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.82

$3.00 €2.66

43.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.44 €1.28

-21.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.04 €14.26

$33.20 €29.53

-51.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.86 €1.65

16.67%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$32.3K €28.8K

-14.97%

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

$25.2K €22.4K

$31.7K €28.2K

-20.54%

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

$202 €179

$183 €163

10.33%

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

$23.34 €20.76

$13.61 €12.11

71.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 €27.13

$32.93 €29.29

-7.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.77

$54.7 €48.65

-5.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 €22.15

$16.52 €14.70

50.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 €8.01

$11.23 €9.99

-19.77%

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

$426 €379

$954 €849

-55.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,589 €6,750

$16.6K €14.8K

-54.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 €80.3

$86.0 €76.5

4.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.86 €35.45

$39.11 €34.78

1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 €79.4

$104 €92.2

-13.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 €435

$1,695 €1,508

-71.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 €345

$1,276 €1,135

-69.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$758 €674

$2,576 €2,291

-70.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 €538

$1,922 €1,710

-68.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,645 €2,352

$7,281 €6,477

-63.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,230 €1,984

$5,010 €4,456

-55.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

3.28

35.98%

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

Last update for Chios: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chios

$388 26.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 229% $889

Groceries & Markets

Chios

$277 19.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 17.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chios

$255 17.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 10.2% $26

Eating Out

Chios

$243 16.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 11% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Chios

$152 10.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 2.6% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Chios

$69 4.8%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 11.1% $7.7

Getting Around

Chios

$60 4.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 21.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $489 in Chios and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Chios vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $325 per month, with Chios cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Chios

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

1 h behind Chios

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,408

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chios Barcelona 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chios
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

Chios vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chios and Barcelona differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($1,445 vs $2,381 including rent). Chios is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,168 in Chios and $3,571 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $489 in Chios versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $426 in Chios versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,445 in Chios versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chios but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Chios 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, Chios 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 Chios gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.