Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cortona and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cortona: $1,433 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Cortona
Learn more

Cortona Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Cortona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,433

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,433 in Cortona versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Cortona $1,433
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,197 in Cortona versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Cortona $2,197
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,961 in Cortona versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Cortona $2,961
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Cortona costs roughly 42% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cortona 5% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €14.98

$17.59 €15.69

-4.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.3

$67.5 €60.2

0.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$13.53 €12.07

-16.04%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.89

$3.19 €2.85

-33.54%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$2.91 €2.60

-2.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.89 €1.69

-21.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.88

$4.01 €3.58

36.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.05

$4.53 €4.04

49.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.31 €1.16

32.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.02 €1.80

8.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 €2.65

$1.85 €1.65

60.54%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.23

$4.83 €4.31

-1.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 €13.21

$16.74 €14.93

-11.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 €10.84

$9.12 €8.14

33.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.44 €17.34

$19.64 €17.52

-1.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.98 €2.66

-14.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.02 €1.80

13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.70 €2.41

-12.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.80 €2.50

-14.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.09 €1.86

-32.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.07 €1.85

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.46 €1.30

-5.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.50

$0.94 €0.84

-41.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.19

$6.87 €6.13

1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €5.08

$7.89 €7.04

-27.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.41 €1.25

12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.54 €2.26

-0.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 €5.90

$2.99 €2.67

121.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.49 €1.33

9.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.47 €29.86

$33.37 €29.78

0.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.80 €1.60

20.00%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$33.2K €29.6K

6.66%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$31.7K €28.3K

14.37%

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

$202 €181

$180 €161

12.23%

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

$11.25 €10.03

$13.84 €12.35

-18.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.35 €28.86

$33.70 €30.06

-4.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.04 €25.02

$51.5 €45.96

-45.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.04 €9.85

$15.96 €14.24

-30.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 €10.04

$10.99 €9.81

2.37%

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

$478 €426

$917 €818

-47.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €14.9K

$16.5K €14.7K

1.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 €64.2

$87.0 €77.7

-17.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.82 €32.85

$38.51 €34.35

-4.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 €76.5

$106 €94.4

-19.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$120 €107

5.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$864 €771

$1,699 €1,516

-49.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 €357

$1,355 €1,209

-70.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 €1,332

$2,603 €2,322

-42.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 €554

$2,062 €1,840

-69.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,315 €2,065

$6,915 €6,169

-66.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,804 €2,502

$5,128 €4,575

-45.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,067 €2,737

$2,211 €1,972

38.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.28

7.32%

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

Last update for Cortona: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cortona

$400 27.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 239% $955

Groceries & Markets

Cortona

$326 22.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 1.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Cortona

$252 17.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 6.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cortona

$246 17.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 7.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cortona

$144 10.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 9.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cortona

$51 3.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 45.4% $23

Getting Around

Cortona

$15 * 1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 228% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $864 in Cortona and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cortona pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Cortona vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cortona

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

Same time as Cortona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,450

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

Cortona Barcelona 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cortona
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

Cortona vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,433 in Cortona and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Cortona is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Cortona, 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: $864 in Cortona versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $478 in Cortona versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,433 per month in Cortona versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Cortona is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,433 in Cortona versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cortona but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cortona 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.