Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fuengirola and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuengirola: $1,702 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Fuengirola
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Fuengirola Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Fuengirola

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,702

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,702 in Fuengirola versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Fuengirola $1,702
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,554 in Fuengirola versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Fuengirola $2,554
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,407 in Fuengirola versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Fuengirola $3,407
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Fuengirola costs roughly 31% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fuengirola 25% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.83 €14.22

$17.59 €15.80

-10.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.2

$67.5 €60.6

0.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 €8.99

$13.53 €12.15

-26.02%

Cappuccino

$2.68 €2.41

$3.19 €2.87

-15.99%

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

$2.43 €2.19

$2.91 €2.62

-16.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.89 €1.70

5.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.04

$4.01 €3.60

-15.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.91

$4.53 €4.07

-3.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.31 €1.17

-6.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.02 €1.81

-25.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.85 €1.66

-19.46%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.60

$4.83 €4.34

-40.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.64 €14.06

$16.74 €15.04

-6.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 €7.06

$9.12 €8.19

-13.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 €10.75

$19.64 €17.64

-39.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$2.98 €2.68

-22.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.76

$2.02 €1.81

-2.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$2.70 €2.43

-37.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.80 €2.52

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.44

$2.09 €1.87

-23.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.07 €1.86

-23.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.46 €1.31

-17.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.94 €0.84

-27.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 €5.10

$6.87 €6.17

-17.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 €6.21

$7.89 €7.09

-12.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.93

$1.41 €1.26

-26.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.54 €2.28

-38.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.97

$3.14 €2.82

-29.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.24 €10.10

$25.45 €22.86

-55.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.99 €2.69

-38.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 €1.11

$1.49 €1.34

-17.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.06 €19.82

$33.37 €29.99

-33.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.80 €1.62

-2.78%

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

$33.7K €30.3K

$33.2K €29.8K

1.55%

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

$30.3K €27.2K

$31.7K €28.5K

-4.49%

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

$162 €146

$180 €162

-10.12%

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

$10.57 €9.50

$13.84 €12.43

-23.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.68 €22.18

$33.70 €30.28

-26.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.57 €40.94

$51.5 €46.28

-11.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.31 €29.93

$15.96 €14.34

108.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.43 €8.47

$10.99 €9.88

-14.19%

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

$383 €344

$917 €824

-58.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €9,008

$16.5K €14.8K

-39.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 €55.9

$87.0 €78.2

-28.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.46 €31.86

$38.51 €34.60

-7.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 €64.0

$106 €95.1

-32.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 €72.9

$120 €108

-32.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 €954

$1,699 €1,527

-37.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 €732

$1,355 €1,218

-39.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 €1,581

$2,603 €2,339

-32.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 €1,187

$2,062 €1,853

-35.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,565 €3,203

$6,915 €6,213

-48.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,700 €2,426

$5,128 €4,607

-47.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,753 €1,575

$2,211 €1,986

-20.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.28

0.61%

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

Last update for Fuengirola: 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

Fuengirola

$815 47.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 66.3% $540

Groceries & Markets

Fuengirola

$252 14.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 27.6% $70

Eating Out

Fuengirola

$232 13.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 15.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fuengirola

$197 11.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 15.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Fuengirola

$112 6.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 40.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Fuengirola

$64 3.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 14.1% $9.1

Getting Around

Fuengirola

$28 1.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 72.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Fuengirola and $1,699 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: $68 in Fuengirola vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $322, with Fuengirola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Fuengirola

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

Same time as Fuengirola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,598

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fuengirola Barcelona 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Fuengirola
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

Fuengirola vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuengirola and Barcelona differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,702 vs $2,453 including rent). Fuengirola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Fuengirola. 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: $1,062 in Fuengirola versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $383 in Fuengirola versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Fuengirola runs roughly 56% less than in Barcelona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Fuengirola gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Fuengirola 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.

It comes down to priorities – Fuengirola wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.