Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mestre and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mestre: $1,784 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Mestre
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Mestre Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mestre

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,784

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,784 in Mestre versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Mestre $1,784
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,808 in Mestre versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Mestre $2,808
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,832 in Mestre versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Mestre $3,832
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Mestre costs roughly 27% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mestre 31% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 €11.79

$17.59 €15.76

-25.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.6

$67.5 €60.5

34.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 €11.15

$13.53 €12.12

-8.06%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$3.19 €2.86

-36.05%

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

$2.95 €2.65

$2.91 €2.61

1.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.89 €1.70

-22.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 €5.93

$4.01 €3.59

65.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 €4.84

$4.53 €4.06

19.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.31 €1.17

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.02 €1.81

24.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$1.85 €1.66

74.05%

Eggs

$3.76 €3.37

$4.83 €4.33

-22.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 €15.66

$16.74 €15.00

4.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €11.29

$9.12 €8.17

38.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.49 €19.26

$19.64 €17.60

9.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$2.98 €2.67

2.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$2.02 €1.81

-4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 €3.05

$2.70 €2.42

26.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 €2.80

$2.80 €2.51

11.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.09 €1.87

-4.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.07 €1.85

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.46 €1.31

13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.94 €0.84

-35.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 €6.19

$6.87 €6.16

0.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.88 €6.17

$7.89 €7.07

-12.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.41 €1.26

9.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.54 €2.27

-32.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$3.14 €2.82

-45.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.79 €36.55

$25.45 €22.80

60.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.24

$2.99 €2.68

58.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 €1.26

$1.49 €1.34

-6.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.66 €27.48

$33.37 €29.91

-8.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.80 €1.61

12.22%

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

$35.4K €31.7K

$33.2K €29.7K

6.74%

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

$36.9K €33.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

16.53%

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

$205 €184

$180 €162

13.90%

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

$8.66 €7.76

$13.84 €12.40

-37.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.29 €26.24

$33.70 €30.20

-13.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.25 €43.23

$51.5 €46.16

-6.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.01 €17.93

$15.96 €14.30

25.38%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 €9.97

$10.99 €9.85

1.27%

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

$682 €611

$917 €821

-25.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,974

$16.5K €14.8K

-32.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.8 €70.7

$87.0 €78.0

-9.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.06 €30.53

$38.51 €34.51

-11.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$106 €94.8

-0.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €150

$120 €107

39.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$857 €768

$1,699 €1,523

-49.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 €585

$1,355 €1,214

-51.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 €1,308

$2,603 €2,332

-43.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,042

$2,062 €1,848

-43.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,871 €1,677

$6,915 €6,196

-72.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,579 €1,415

$5,128 €4,595

-69.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,909 €1,711

$2,211 €1,981

-13.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

3.28

0.91%

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

Last update for Mestre: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mestre

$653 36.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 108% $702

Groceries & Markets

Mestre

$355 19.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 9.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mestre

$243 13.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 6.4% $15

Eating Out

Mestre

$229 12.8%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 17.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Mestre

$173 9.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 8.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Mestre

$71 4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 4.3% $3

Getting Around

Mestre

$59 3.3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 18.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $857 in Mestre and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 16% 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: $91 in Mestre vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Mestre

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

Same time as Mestre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,377

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

Mestre Barcelona 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mestre
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

Mestre vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,784 in Mestre and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Mestre is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Mestre. 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: $857 in Mestre versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $682 in Mestre versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mestre 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.

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