Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahdia and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $561 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mahdia
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$561
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $561 in Mahdia versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

  • Mahdia $561
  • Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $887 in Mahdia versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

  • Mahdia $887
  • Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,214 in Mahdia versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

  • Mahdia $1,214
  • Barcelona $4,431

Living in Mahdia costs roughly 76% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mahdia is 59% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mahdia
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.54 TND 7.61
$17.89 €15.92
-85.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.76 TND 59.2
$66.2 €58.9
-70.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.00 TND 14.99
$13.69 €12.18
-63.48%
Cappuccino
$0.98 TND 2.94
$3.06 €2.72
-67.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 TND 1.87
$3.07 €2.73
-79.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 TND 0.50
$1.94 €1.73
-91.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.03 TND 3.07
$3.87 €3.44
-73.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 TND 4.65
$4.61 €4.10
-66.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mahdia
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.43 TND 1.28
$1.30 €1.16
-66.92%
White Bread (500g)
$0.28 TND 0.84
$2.10 €1.87
-86.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 TND 3.98
$1.83 €1.62
-27.32%
Eggs
$1.54 TND 4.60
$4.62 €4.11
-66.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.75 TND 35.18
$17.36 €15.44
-32.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.06 TND 15.15
$9.28 €8.25
-45.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.81 TND 44.37
$19.83 €17.64
-25.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.91 TND 8.71
$3.01 €2.68
-3.32%
Banana (1kg)
$2.79 TND 8.37
$2.03 €1.81
37.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 TND 4.19
$2.65 €2.36
-47.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.72 TND 2.16
$2.87 €2.55
-74.91%
Potato (1kg)
$0.64 TND 1.91
$2.16 €1.92
-70.37%
Onion (1kg)
$0.33 TND 0.99
$2.15 €1.91
-84.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.41 TND 1.22
$1.47 €1.31
-72.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33 TND 0.98
$0.88 €0.79
-62.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.61 TND 10.82
$6.93 €6.16
-47.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.29 TND 9.87
$7.83 €6.96
-57.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 TND 4.71
$1.39 €1.24
12.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 TND 3.78
$2.63 €2.34
-52.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Mahdia
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 TND 0.99
$2.91 €2.59
-88.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.27 TND 39.75
$25.46 €22.64
-47.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.29 TND 0.86
$3.00 €2.66
-90.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.26 TND 0.77
$1.44 €1.28
-81.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$33.20 €29.53
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 TND 2.67
$1.86 €1.65
-52.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.7K TND 118.8K
$32.3K €28.8K
22.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K TND 121.2K
$31.7K €28.2K
27.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mahdia
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$56.7 TND 170
$183 €163
-68.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.30 TND 21.87
$13.61 €12.11
-46.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.30 TND 60.8
$32.93 €29.29
-38.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mahdia
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.78 TND 62.2
$54.7 €48.65
-62.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.50 TND 22.46
$16.52 €14.70
-54.60%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 TND 20.25
$11.23 €9.99
-39.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mahdia
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$109 TND 326
$954 €849
-88.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$998 TND 2,989
$16.6K €14.8K
-93.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mahdia
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.75 TND 116
$86.0 €76.5
-54.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.18 TND 102
$39.11 €34.78
-12.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.5 TND 235
$104 €92.2
-24.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$23.12 TND 69.2
$119 €106
-80.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mahdia
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$129 TND 385
$1,695 €1,508
-92.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$99.7 TND 298
$1,276 €1,135
-92.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$300 TND 899
$2,576 €2,291
-88.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$174 TND 521
$1,922 €1,710
-90.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$681 TND 2,041
$7,281 €6,477
-90.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$202 TND 604
$5,010 €4,456
-95.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mahdia
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$236 TND 707
$2,227 €1,981
-89.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.33
3.28
214.94%

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

Last update for Mahdia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Mahdia
$189
Barcelona
$325 71.9% $136
Accommodation & Living
Mahdia
$100
Barcelona
$1.3K 1181% $1.2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mahdia
$84
Barcelona
$229 172% $145
Clothing & Footwear
Mahdia
$79
Barcelona
$156 99% $78
Eating Out
Mahdia
$59
Barcelona
$270 361% $211
Sport & Entertainment
Mahdia
$34
Barcelona
$77 125% $43
Getting Around
Mahdia
$16
Barcelona
$47 193% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $129 in Mahdia and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 843% 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: $20.00 in Mahdia vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $325 per month, with Mahdia cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Mahdia
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
15:23 3:23 PM
16:23 4:23 PM
1 h ahead of Mahdia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,545
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mahdia Barcelona 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mahdia
  • 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
Mahdia vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mahdia and in Barcelona?
Mahdia and Barcelona differ by about 325% in total monthly costs ($561 vs $2,381 including rent). Mahdia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 843% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Mahdia and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $129 in Mahdia versus $1,695 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 Mahdia and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $109 in Mahdia versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $561 in Mahdia versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mahdia but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mahdia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mahdia 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 Mahdia or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Mahdia 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.
Where should expats move: Mahdia or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Mahdia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 325% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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