Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Metz and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Metz: $1,859 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Metz
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Metz Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Metz

🇫🇷 France

$1,859

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,859 in Metz versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Metz $1,859
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,789 in Metz versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Metz $2,789
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,719 in Metz versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Metz $3,719
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Metz costs roughly 24% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Metz 37% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.80

$17.59 €15.76

-6.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

0.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.92

$13.53 €12.12

-18.18%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.21

$3.19 €2.86

12.23%

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

$3.92 €3.51

$2.91 €2.61

34.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.89 €1.70

24.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 €4.40

$4.01 €3.59

22.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.13

$4.53 €4.06

26.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €1.00

$1.31 €1.17

-15.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 €2.26

$2.02 €1.81

24.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.85 €1.66

43.24%

Eggs

$4.46 €3.99

$4.83 €4.33

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.84 €19.57

$16.74 €15.00

30.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 €12.27

$9.12 €8.17

50.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.86 €19.59

$19.64 €17.60

11.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.86

$2.98 €2.67

7.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.02 €1.81

8.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 €2.57

$2.70 €2.42

6.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 €3.68

$2.80 €2.51

46.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.09 €1.87

-12.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.07 €1.85

23.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.46 €1.31

27.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.83

$0.94 €0.84

-2.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.35 €12.86

$6.87 €6.16

108.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 €8.15

$7.89 €7.07

15.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.46

$1.41 €1.26

94.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.18

$2.54 €2.27

39.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.97

$3.14 €2.82

-29.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.0 €51.1

$25.45 €22.80

123.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 €8.06

$2.99 €2.68

200.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.00 €39.43

$33.37 €29.91

31.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.80 €1.61

16.67%

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

$34.5K €30.9K

$33.2K €29.7K

3.89%

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

$38.1K €34.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

20.11%

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

$154 €138

$180 €162

-14.71%

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

$15.72 €14.09

$13.84 €12.40

13.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.14 €20.73

$33.70 €30.20

-31.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.57 €17.54

$51.5 €46.16

-62.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 €10.00

$15.96 €14.30

-30.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €10.03

$10.99 €9.85

1.82%

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

$1,764 €1,580

$917 €821

92.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.9K €23.2K

$16.5K €14.8K

57.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €85.2

$87.0 €78.0

9.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.91 €19.63

$38.51 €34.51

-43.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 €85.2

$106 €94.8

-10.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 €145

$120 €107

35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 €668

$1,699 €1,523

-56.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 €637

$1,355 €1,214

-47.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 €1,015

$2,603 €2,332

-56.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 €961

$2,062 €1,848

-47.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,703 €3,318

$6,915 €6,196

-46.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,960 €2,652

$5,128 €4,595

-42.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,278 €2,938

$2,211 €1,981

48.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

3.28

5.18%

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

Last update for Metz: 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

Metz

$711 38.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 90.7% $645

Groceries & Markets

Metz

$394 21.2%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 18.2% $72

Eating Out

Metz

$269 14.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 0.6% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Metz

$193 10.4%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 18.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Metz

$168 9.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 6.1% $10

Getting Around

Metz

$82 4.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 41% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Metz

$42 2.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 75.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $746 in Metz and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Metz pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Metz vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Metz

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

Same time as Metz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,874

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

Metz Barcelona 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Metz
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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

Metz vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,859 in Metz and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Metz is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Metz, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $746 in Metz versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,764 in Metz versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 55% less than in Metz. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Metz and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.