Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macerata and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Macerata: $1,450 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Macerata
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Macerata Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Macerata

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,450

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,450 in Macerata versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Macerata $1,450
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,273 in Macerata versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Macerata $2,273
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,096 in Macerata versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Macerata $3,096
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Macerata costs roughly 41% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Macerata 7% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 €15.54

$17.59 €15.76

-1.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.9 €68.9

$67.5 €60.5

13.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 €9.56

$13.53 €12.12

-21.14%

Cappuccino

$1.65 €1.48

$3.19 €2.86

-48.28%

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

$2.74 €2.46

$2.91 €2.61

-5.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.89 €1.70

-36.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 €4.47

$4.01 €3.59

24.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.32

$4.53 €4.06

6.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.31 €1.17

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.16

$2.02 €1.81

19.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$1.85 €1.66

70.81%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.94

$4.83 €4.33

-9.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 €16.77

$16.74 €15.00

11.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.26 €10.98

$9.12 €8.17

34.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 €18.00

$19.64 €17.60

2.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.98 €2.67

-24.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.02 €1.81

-18.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.70 €2.42

-15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.80 €2.51

-21.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.09 €1.87

10.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.07 €1.85

5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 €0.53

$1.46 €1.31

-59.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 €0.35

$0.94 €0.84

-58.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.51 €6.73

$6.87 €6.16

9.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.13

$7.89 €7.07

-27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.41 €1.26

46.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$2.54 €2.27

-40.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 €1.38

$3.14 €2.82

-50.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.39 €29.92

$25.45 €22.80

31.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.25 €10.09

$2.99 €2.68

276.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.49 €1.34

13.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.66 €17.62

$33.37 €29.91

-41.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.80 €1.61

13.89%

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

$33.0K €29.6K

$33.2K €29.7K

-0.49%

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

$56.6K €50.7K

$31.7K €28.4K

78.47%

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

$228 €204

$180 €162

26.48%

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

$8.33 €7.46

$13.84 €12.40

-39.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.33 €27.18

$33.70 €30.20

-10.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.76

$51.5 €46.16

3.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.35 €25.40

$15.96 €14.30

77.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$10.99 €9.85

-12.65%

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

$205 €184

$917 €821

-77.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,895 €7,075

$16.5K €14.8K

-52.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.5 €71.3

$87.0 €78.0

-8.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.24 €23.51

$38.51 €34.51

-31.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 €61.9

$106 €94.8

-34.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 €61.0

$120 €107

-43.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €428

$1,699 €1,523

-71.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 €330

$1,355 €1,214

-72.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$797 €714

$2,603 €2,332

-69.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$618 €554

$2,062 €1,848

-70.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,143 €1,921

$6,915 €6,196

-69.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,590 €1,425

$5,128 €4,595

-69.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,917 €1,718

$2,211 €1,981

-13.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-8.54%

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

Last update for Macerata: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macerata

$369 25.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 268% $987

Groceries & Markets

Macerata

$333 23%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 3.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macerata

$267 18.4%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 14.6% $39

Eating Out

Macerata

$241 16.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 11.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Macerata

$109 7.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 44.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Macerata

$72 5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 1.4% $1

Getting Around

Macerata

$59 4.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 18.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Macerata and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 15% 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: $77 in Macerata vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Macerata

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

Same time as Macerata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,473

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

Macerata Barcelona 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Macerata
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

Macerata vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,450 in Macerata and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Macerata is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Macerata. 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: $478 in Macerata versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $205 in Macerata 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 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Macerata is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Macerata and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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