Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genoa and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Genoa: $1,775 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Genoa
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Genoa Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Genoa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,775

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Genoa versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Genoa $1,775
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,716 in Genoa versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Genoa $2,716
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,658 in Genoa versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Genoa $3,658
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Genoa costs roughly 28% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Genoa 30% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.06

$17.59 €15.76

-4.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.4 €76.6

$67.5 €60.5

26.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.97

$13.53 €12.12

-1.33%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.80

$3.19 €2.86

-36.99%

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

$2.97 €2.66

$2.91 €2.61

2.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.89 €1.70

-21.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 €6.12

$4.01 €3.59

70.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 €4.88

$4.53 €4.06

20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.31 €1.17

41.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.02 €1.81

18.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 €2.89

$1.85 €1.66

74.05%

Eggs

$4.79 €4.29

$4.83 €4.33

-0.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.04 €16.16

$16.74 €15.00

7.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.70 €11.38

$9.12 €8.17

39.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.57 €18.44

$19.64 €17.60

4.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.98 €2.67

-7.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.02 €1.81

6.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.70 €2.42

4.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.99

$2.80 €2.51

19.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.09 €1.87

2.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.07 €1.85

-9.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.46 €1.31

11.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.94 €0.84

-43.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.41

$6.87 €6.16

4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 €6.87

$7.89 €7.07

-2.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.41 €1.26

65.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.58

$2.54 €2.27

13.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.96

$3.14 €2.82

-30.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.0 €48.42

$25.45 €22.80

112.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 €5.94

$2.99 €2.68

121.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.49 €1.34

-12.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.84

$33.37 €29.91

-0.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.80 €1.61

16.11%

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

$35.6K €31.9K

$33.2K €29.7K

7.25%

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

$37.0K €33.2K

$31.7K €28.4K

16.73%

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

$243 €218

$180 €162

34.69%

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

$10.28 €9.21

$13.84 €12.40

-25.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.56 €28.28

$33.70 €30.20

-6.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.23 €44.11

$51.5 €46.16

-4.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.35 €13.75

$15.96 €14.30

-3.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.72 €7.81

$10.99 €9.85

-20.66%

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

$364 €327

$917 €821

-60.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.1K

$16.5K €14.8K

-25.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 €65.1

$87.0 €78.0

-16.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.83 €33.90

$38.51 €34.51

-1.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 €81.4

$106 €94.8

-14.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$120 €107

1.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 €740

$1,699 €1,523

-51.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 €516

$1,355 €1,214

-57.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 €1,254

$2,603 €2,332

-46.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$926 €830

$2,062 €1,848

-55.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,700 €3,316

$6,915 €6,196

-46.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,360 €1,218

$5,128 €4,595

-73.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,067 €1,852

$2,211 €1,981

-6.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.28

3.05%

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

Last update for Genoa: 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

Genoa

$576 32.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 135% $779

Groceries & Markets

Genoa

$364 20.5%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 11.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genoa

$285 16.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 20% $57

Eating Out

Genoa

$262 14.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 2.5% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Genoa

$146 8.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 8.6% $12

Getting Around

Genoa

$76 4.3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 36.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Genoa

$67 3.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $825 in Genoa and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 7% 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: $85 in Genoa vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Genoa

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

Same time as Genoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,655

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

Genoa Barcelona 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Genoa
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

Genoa vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,775 in Genoa and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Genoa is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Genoa. 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: $825 in Genoa versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $364 in Genoa versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,775 in Genoa versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Genoa but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Genoa 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.

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