Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukuoka and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukuoka: $1,307 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Fukuoka, Japan
Barcelona, Spain
Fukuoka
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,307
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,307 in Fukuoka versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

  • Fukuoka $1,307
  • Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in Fukuoka versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

  • Fukuoka $2,031
  • Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,754 in Fukuoka versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

  • Fukuoka $2,754
  • Barcelona $4,564

Living in Fukuoka costs roughly 47% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fukuoka is 4% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fukuoka
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.33 ¥1,155
$17.59 €15.75
-58.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.83 ¥6,904
$67.5 €60.5
-35.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.97 ¥940
$13.53 €12.12
-55.88%
Cappuccino
$3.72 ¥586
$3.19 €2.86
16.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ¥166
$2.91 €2.61
-63.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 ¥118
$1.89 €1.70
-60.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.85 ¥607
$4.01 €3.59
-3.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 ¥340
$4.53 €4.06
-52.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fukuoka
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ¥244
$1.31 €1.17
18.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 ¥288
$2.02 €1.81
-9.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.43 ¥1,013
$1.85 €1.66
247.57%
Eggs
$2.30 ¥363
$4.83 €4.33
-52.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.19 ¥2,866
$16.74 €14.99
8.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.34 ¥841
$9.12 €8.17
-41.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.96 ¥2,987
$19.64 €17.59
-3.46%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 ¥570
$2.98 €2.67
21.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ¥292
$2.02 €1.81
-8.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.83 ¥445
$2.70 €2.42
4.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.33 ¥525
$2.80 €2.51
18.93%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 ¥338
$2.09 €1.87
2.87%
Onion (1kg)
$2.59 ¥408
$2.07 €1.85
25.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 ¥162
$1.46 €1.31
-29.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 ¥154
$0.94 €0.84
4.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.98 ¥626
$6.87 €6.15
-42.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.41 ¥1,009
$7.89 €7.06
-18.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 ¥270
$1.41 €1.26
21.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 ¥303
$2.54 €2.27
-24.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Fukuoka
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.29 ¥204
$3.14 €2.82
-58.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$52.9 ¥8,332
$25.45 €22.79
107.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.11 ¥647
$2.99 €2.68
37.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.39 ¥376
$1.49 €1.34
60.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.92 ¥2,823
$33.37 €29.89
-46.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ¥173
$1.80 €1.61
-38.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K ¥3.5M
$33.2K €29.7K
-33.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.0K ¥2.4M
$31.7K €28.4K
-52.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fukuoka
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 ¥33.9K
$180 €162
19.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.33 ¥3,990
$13.84 €12.39
83.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.10 ¥5,371
$33.70 €30.18
1.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fukuoka
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.11 ¥7,579
$51.5 €46.13
-6.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.96 €14.29
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.61 ¥1,986
$10.99 €9.85
14.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fukuoka
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$702 ¥110.6K
$917 €821
-23.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K ¥1.9M
$16.5K €14.8K
-25.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fukuoka
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.84 ¥7,694
$87.0 €77.9
-43.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.49 ¥4,172
$38.51 €34.49
-31.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.8 ¥10.4K
$106 €94.8
-37.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$47.48 ¥7,479
$120 €107
-60.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fukuoka
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$523 ¥82.4K
$1,699 €1,522
-69.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 ¥52.2K
$1,355 €1,214
-75.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,173 ¥184.8K
$2,603 €2,331
-54.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$709 ¥111.7K
$2,062 €1,847
-65.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,674 ¥736.2K
$6,915 €6,193
-32.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,568 ¥404.5K
$5,128 €4,592
-49.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fukuoka
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,647 ¥259.5K
$2,211 €1,980
-25.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.97
3.28
-39.94%

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

Last update for Fukuoka: 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
Fukuoka
$332
Barcelona
$1.4K 309% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Fukuoka
$317
Barcelona
$322 1.6% $5.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fukuoka
$274
Barcelona
$228 16.9% $47
Eating Out
Fukuoka
$152
Barcelona
$268 76.3% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Fukuoka
$85
Barcelona
$158 86.1% $73
Getting Around
Fukuoka
$74
Barcelona
$48 34.6% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Fukuoka
$73
Barcelona
$74 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $523 in Fukuoka and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 34% 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: $44 in Fukuoka vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $322 per month, with Fukuoka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Fukuoka
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
01:36 1:36 AM
17:36 5:36 PM
8 h behind Fukuoka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,612,392
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fukuoka Barcelona 10,140 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fukuoka
  • 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
Fukuoka vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Fukuoka and in Barcelona?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,307 in Fukuoka and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Fukuoka is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Fukuoka. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Fukuoka and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $523 in Fukuoka 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 Fukuoka and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $702 in Fukuoka 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 restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Fukuoka – a meal for two runs $44 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,307 in Fukuoka versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Fukuoka but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Fukuoka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Fukuoka 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 Fukuoka or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Fukuoka and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Fukuoka and Barcelona?
It comes down to priorities – Fukuoka wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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