Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mellieha and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mellieha: $1,868 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,868

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,868 in Mellieha versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Mellieha $1,868
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,814 in Mellieha versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Mellieha $2,814
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,761 in Mellieha versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Mellieha $3,761
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Mellieha costs roughly 22% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mellieha 38% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 €14.98

$17.94 €15.96

-6.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 €57.4

$68.1 €60.5

-5.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 €9.55

$13.28 €11.81

-19.13%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.36

$3.25 €2.89

-18.46%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$3.01 €2.67

-19.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.87 €1.66

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 €3.49

$3.85 €3.42

1.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 €6.08

$4.48 €3.98

52.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.29 €1.15

6.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.04 €1.81

-32.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.72 €1.53

100.00%

Eggs

$4.43 €3.94

$4.77 €4.24

-7.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 €9.03

$16.77 €14.92

-39.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 €8.80

$8.93 €7.94

10.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.22 €16.21

$19.88 €17.68

-8.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$2.98 €2.65

23.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.03 €1.80

38.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.73 €2.43

46.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.36

$2.68 €2.38

41.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.10 €1.87

-9.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.08 €1.85

62.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.45 €1.29

17.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.89 €0.79

29.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.72

$6.94 €6.17

-7.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$7.78 €6.92

-22.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.45 €1.29

66.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.57 €2.29

-8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 €2.43

$2.99 €2.66

-8.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.52

$3.12 €2.77

26.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.44 €1.28

27.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.19 €29.52

$33.50 €29.80

-0.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.79 €1.59

-18.44%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$34.6K €30.8K

-18.79%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

29.64%

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

$104 €92.3

$178 €158

-41.62%

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

$30.81 €27.40

$13.32 €11.85

131.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.75 €25.57

$34.88 €31.03

-17.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.3

$53.3 €47.37

12.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 €7.51

$11.06 €9.84

-23.69%

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

$282 €250

$957 €851

-70.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$16.6K €14.7K

-25.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 €50.9

$88.2 €78.4

-35.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.17 €34.85

$39.49 €35.12

-0.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 €73.2

$103 €91.5

-19.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 €64.7

$121 €108

-40.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 €1,006

$1,653 €1,470

-31.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 €814

$1,302 €1,158

-29.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 €1,591

$2,557 €2,275

-30.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,341

$1,915 €1,703

-21.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,935 €3,500

$7,286 €6,481

-45.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,756 €2,451

$5,080 €4,519

-45.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,350 €1,201

$2,281 €2,029

-40.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

3.28

23.48%

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

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mellieha

$915 49%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 42.3% $387

Groceries & Markets

Mellieha

$326 17.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 1.7% $5.4

Eating Out

Mellieha

$250 13.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 8.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mellieha

$163 8.8%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 38.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Mellieha

$113 6.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 40% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Mellieha

$77 4.1%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 1.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 96.9% $23

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 $1,131 in Mellieha and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 69% 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: $65.0 in Mellieha vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

Same time as Mellieha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,087

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

Mellieha Barcelona 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mellieha
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

Mellieha vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mellieha and Barcelona differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,868 vs $2,399 including rent). Mellieha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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: $1,131 in Mellieha versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $282 in Mellieha 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 Mellieha – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,868 in Mellieha versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mellieha but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mellieha 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, Mellieha 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 Mellieha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.