Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mataro and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataro: $1,844 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Mataro
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Mataro Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mataro

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,844

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,844 in Mataro versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Mataro $1,844
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Mataro versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Mataro $2,696
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,548 in Mataro versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Mataro $3,548
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Mataro costs roughly 25% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mataro 35% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.70 €15.00

$17.59 €15.80

-5.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.9

$67.5 €60.6

-16.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.99

$13.53 €12.15

-1.40%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$3.19 €2.87

-36.05%

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

$2.33 €2.09

$2.91 €2.62

-19.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.53 €4.07

-24.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.11

$1.31 €1.17

-6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.02 €1.81

2.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.85 €1.66

-20.00%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.58

$4.83 €4.34

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.04 €15.31

$16.74 €15.03

1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 €8.33

$9.12 €8.19

1.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.59 €17.60

$19.64 €17.64

-0.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.37

$2.98 €2.68

-11.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.76

$2.02 €1.81

-2.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 €2.41

$2.70 €2.43

-0.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.57

$2.80 €2.52

2.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.09 €1.87

-0.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.07 €1.86

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.46 €1.31

4.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.94 €0.84

-6.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.70

$6.87 €6.17

-7.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.07

$7.89 €7.08

-28.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.41 €1.26

-21.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.54 €2.28

-9.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.14 €2.82

-19.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.37 €30.87

$25.45 €22.86

35.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.99 €2.69

-23.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.49 €1.34

-28.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.06 €26.10

$33.37 €29.98

-12.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.80 €1.61

-3.33%

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

$32.3K €29.0K

$33.2K €29.8K

-2.67%

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

$32.0K €28.8K

$31.7K €28.5K

1.05%

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

$184 €165

$180 €162

2.08%

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

$12.18 €10.94

$13.84 €12.43

-11.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.34 €26.35

$33.70 €30.27

-12.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 €54.6

$51.5 €46.27

18.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.76 €12.36

$15.96 €14.34

-13.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 €9.71

$10.99 €9.88

-1.64%

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

$500 €449

$917 €823

-45.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,830 €7,034

$16.5K €14.8K

-52.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 €78.2

$87.0 €78.2

0.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 €35.83

$38.51 €34.59

3.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 €87.0

$106 €95.1

-8.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$120 €108

-4.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 €844

$1,699 €1,527

-44.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 €700

$1,355 €1,217

-42.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 €1,198

$2,603 €2,338

-48.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 €1,053

$2,062 €1,853

-43.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,286 €2,951

$6,915 €6,211

-52.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,846 €2,557

$5,128 €4,606

-44.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,861 €1,672

$2,211 €1,986

-15.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Mataro: 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

Mataro

$780 42.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 73.8% $576

Groceries & Markets

Mataro

$310 16.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 3.8% $12

Eating Out

Mataro

$242 13.1%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 10.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mataro

$226 12.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Mataro

$152 8.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 4% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mataro

$82 4.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10.8% $8.9

Getting Around

Mataro

$52 2.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 7.1% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $940 in Mataro and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 19% 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: $57 in Mataro vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $322 per month, with Mataro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Mataro

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

Same time as Mataro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

129,870

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mataro Barcelona 28 km

From you

Mataro
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

Mataro vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,844 in Mataro and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Mataro is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Mataro. 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: $940 in Mataro versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $500 in Mataro versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mataro gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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