Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imperia and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperia: $1,701 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

82

Cost of Living Index in Imperia
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Imperia Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Imperia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,701

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,701 in Imperia versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Imperia $1,701
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,550 in Imperia versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Imperia $2,550
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,400 in Imperia versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Imperia $3,400
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Imperia costs roughly 29% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Imperia 26% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 €12.08

$17.89 €15.92

-24.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 €55.7

$66.2 €58.9

-5.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$13.69 €12.18

-19.07%

Cappuccino

$1.67 €1.49

$3.06 €2.72

-45.42%

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

$3.66 €3.26

$3.07 €2.73

19.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.94 €1.73

-25.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 €5.14

$3.87 €3.44

49.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 €4.79

$4.61 €4.10

16.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.30 €1.16

34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.10 €1.87

0.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$1.83 €1.62

92.35%

Eggs

$4.14 €3.68

$4.62 €4.11

-10.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 €11.12

$17.36 €15.44

-28.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.12 €10.78

$9.28 €8.25

30.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.74 €20.23

$19.83 €17.64

14.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.01 €2.68

-20.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.03 €1.81

13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.65 €2.36

24.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$2.87 €2.55

45.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.16 €1.92

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.15 €1.91

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.47 €1.31

-14.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.88 €0.79

-39.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.38 €6.56

$6.93 €6.16

6.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.65 €4.14

$7.83 €6.96

-40.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.39 €1.24

-17.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.63 €2.34

-4.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.91 €2.59

-35.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.8 €49.60

$25.46 €22.64

119.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 €6.94

$3.00 €2.66

160.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.44 €1.28

51.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.9 €57.7

$33.20 €29.53

95.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.86 €1.65

18.28%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

14.42%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$31.7K €28.2K

16.71%

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

$136 €121

$183 €163

-25.86%

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

$10.10 €8.98

$13.61 €12.11

-25.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.96 €26.65

$32.93 €29.29

-9.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$54.7 €48.65

28.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 €22.73

$16.52 €14.70

54.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

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

$836 €744

$954 €849

-12.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K €16.5K

$16.6K €14.8K

11.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 €81.1

$86.0 €76.5

5.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 €35.34

$39.11 €34.78

1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$104 €92.2

0.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$119 €106

7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 €702

$1,695 €1,508

-53.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 €558

$1,276 €1,135

-50.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 €1,503

$2,576 €2,291

-34.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$910 €809

$1,922 €1,710

-52.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,490

$7,281 €6,477

-61.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,030 €1,806

$5,010 €4,456

-59.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,753 €1,559

$2,227 €1,981

-21.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.28

-3.05%

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

Last update for Imperia: 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

Imperia

$627 36.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 103% $649

Groceries & Markets

Imperia

$337 19.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 3.7% $12

Eating Out

Imperia

$222 13.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 21.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imperia

$176 10.3%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 30.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Imperia

$163 9.6%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 4.3% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Imperia

$93 5.5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 17% $16

Getting Around

Imperia

$82 4.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 42.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $790 in Imperia and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 27% 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: $63.0 in Imperia vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $337 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Imperia

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

Same time as Imperia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,999

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Imperia Barcelona 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Imperia
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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

Imperia vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imperia and Barcelona differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,701 vs $2,381 including rent). Imperia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Barcelona. 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: $790 in Imperia versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $836 in Imperia versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,701 in Imperia versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Imperia but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Imperia 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, Imperia 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 Imperia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.