Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mdina and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mdina: $2,080 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,080

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Mdina versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Mdina $2,080
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Mdina versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Mdina $3,064
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,048 in Mdina versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Mdina $4,048
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Mdina costs roughly 13% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mdina 54% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.17 €17.05

$17.94 €15.96

6.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$68.1 €60.5

25.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$13.28 €11.81

0.75%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.47

$3.25 €2.89

-14.46%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$3.01 €2.67

4.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.87 €1.66

16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 €3.93

$3.85 €3.42

14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$4.48 €3.98

12.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.29 €1.15

3.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.04 €1.81

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$1.72 €1.53

150.58%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.78

$4.77 €4.24

-10.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 €7.42

$16.77 €14.92

-50.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 €9.13

$8.93 €7.94

14.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 €16.44

$19.88 €17.68

-7.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$2.98 €2.65

35.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.03 €1.80

36.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$2.73 €2.43

32.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.68 €2.38

26.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.10 €1.87

15.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.08 €1.85

-1.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.45 €1.29

56.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.89 €0.79

50.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.06

$6.94 €6.17

-1.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$7.78 €6.92

5.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.45 €1.29

22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.57 €2.29

-8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.99 €2.66

-14.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.12 €2.77

74.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.44 €1.28

53.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 €23.70

$33.50 €29.80

-20.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.79 €1.59

-17.88%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

8.53%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$30.1K €26.7K

29.30%

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

$104 €92.5

$178 €158

-41.56%

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

$25.81 €22.96

$13.32 €11.85

93.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.04 €37.39

$34.88 €31.03

20.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$53.3 €47.37

32.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$11.06 €9.84

-10.49%

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

$370 €329

$957 €851

-61.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,820

$16.6K €14.7K

-33.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.6

$88.2 €78.4

-1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 €35.78

$39.49 €35.12

1.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$103 €91.5

-4.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 €70.4

$121 €108

-34.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,040

$1,653 €1,470

-29.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 €930

$1,302 €1,158

-19.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 €1,383

$2,557 €2,275

-39.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,374

$1,915 €1,703

-19.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,557 €3,164

$7,286 €6,481

-51.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,055 €2,717

$5,080 €4,519

-39.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,467 €1,305

$2,281 €2,029

-35.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

3.28

-11.59%

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

Last update for Mdina: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mdina

$1K 50.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 24.5% $256

Groceries & Markets

Mdina

$328 15.8%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 2.4% $7.8

Eating Out

Mdina

$280 13.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 3.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mdina

$172 8.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 31.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Mdina

$137 6.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 15.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Mdina

$90 4.3%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 16.5% $15

Getting Around

Mdina

$27 * 1.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 77.8% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in Mdina and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 55% 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: $85.0 in Mdina vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mdina

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Mdina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193

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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Highest

Between locations

Mdina Barcelona 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mdina
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

Mdina vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mdina and Barcelona differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,080 vs $2,399 including rent). Mdina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% 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: $1,170 in Mdina versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $370 in Mdina versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mdina – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,080 in Mdina versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mdina but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mdina 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, Mdina 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 Mdina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.