Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matera and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,484 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Matera
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Matera Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,484

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,484 in Matera versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Matera $1,484
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,356 in Matera versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Matera $2,356
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,227 in Matera versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Matera $3,227
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Matera costs roughly 39% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Matera 9% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 €13.70

$17.59 €15.76

-13.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 €54.4

$67.5 €60.5

-10.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 €10.17

$13.53 €12.12

-16.19%

Cappuccino

$1.88 €1.68

$3.19 €2.86

-41.07%

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

$2.27 €2.04

$2.91 €2.61

-21.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.89 €1.70

-42.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.14

$4.01 €3.59

43.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.53 €4.06

-26.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.31 €1.17

20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.02 €1.81

-14.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$1.85 €1.66

77.30%

Eggs

$3.52 €3.16

$4.83 €4.33

-27.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.39 €13.79

$16.74 €15.00

-8.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.28 €11.01

$9.12 €8.17

34.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 €18.68

$19.64 €17.60

6.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.36

$2.98 €2.67

-11.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.02 €1.81

6.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.70 €2.42

-58.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 €3.41

$2.80 €2.51

35.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$2.09 €1.87

-14.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.07 €1.85

-20.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 €0.42

$0.94 €0.84

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.05

$6.87 €6.16

-1.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 €5.68

$7.89 €7.07

-19.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.41 €1.26

30.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.79

$2.54 €2.27

22.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.54

$3.14 €2.82

-45.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.20 €18.10

$25.45 €22.80

-20.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.97

$2.99 €2.68

48.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.49 €1.34

-20.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 €21.28

$33.37 €29.91

-28.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.80 €1.61

12.22%

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

$35.1K €31.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

5.81%

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

$37.3K €33.5K

$31.7K €28.4K

17.82%

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

$197 €177

$180 €162

9.46%

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

$9.37 €8.39

$13.84 €12.40

-32.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 €27.54

$33.70 €30.20

-8.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.59

$51.5 €46.16

7.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.43 €20.99

$15.96 €14.30

46.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.90

$10.99 €9.85

-9.55%

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

$448 €402

$917 €821

-51.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 €7,096

$16.5K €14.8K

-51.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.2 €60.3

$87.0 €78.0

-22.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.87 €38.41

$38.51 €34.51

11.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.4

$106 €94.8

-0.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$120 €107

12.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 €632

$1,699 €1,523

-58.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 €377

$1,355 €1,214

-68.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 €918

$2,603 €2,332

-60.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$841 €753

$2,062 €1,848

-59.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,772 €2,484

$6,915 €6,196

-59.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,179 €2,849

$5,128 €4,595

-38.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 €1,568

$2,211 €1,981

-20.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

3.28

-6.10%

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

Last update for Matera: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matera

$421 28.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 222% $935

Groceries & Markets

Matera

$328 22.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 1.9% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matera

$238 16%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 4.1% $9.6

Eating Out

Matera

$228 15.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 17.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Matera

$158 10.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 0.2% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Matera

$75 5.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 2.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Matera

$37 2.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 29.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Matera and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 26% 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: $61 in Matera vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Matera

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

Same time as Matera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,607

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

Matera Barcelona 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Matera
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

Matera vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,484 in Matera and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Matera is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Matera. 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: $705 in Matera versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $448 in Matera versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matera – a meal for two runs $61 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Matera 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, Matera and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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