Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modena and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Modena: $1,881 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

90

Cost of Living Index in Modena
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Modena Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Modena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,881

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,881 in Modena versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Modena $1,881
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,040 in Modena versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Modena $3,040
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,200 in Modena versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Modena $4,200
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Modena costs roughly 23% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Modena 38% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.58 €20.28

$17.59 €15.80

28.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 €78.9

$67.5 €60.6

30.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.18 €11.84

$13.53 €12.15

-2.59%

Cappuccino

$1.89 €1.70

$3.19 €2.87

-40.75%

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

$2.94 €2.64

$2.91 €2.62

1.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.89 €1.70

-17.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.92

$4.01 €3.60

64.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.17

$4.53 €4.07

26.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.31 €1.17

11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 €2.29

$2.02 €1.81

25.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.50

$1.85 €1.66

-10.27%

Eggs

$4.92 €4.42

$4.83 €4.34

1.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.46 €18.37

$16.74 €15.03

22.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.82 €12.41

$9.12 €8.19

51.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 €19.41

$19.64 €17.64

10.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$2.98 €2.68

-13.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 €2.29

$2.02 €1.81

26.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.70 €2.43

21.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.75

$2.80 €2.52

9.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.09 €1.87

17.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$2.07 €1.86

-19.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.23

$1.46 €1.31

-6.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$0.94 €0.84

-28.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 €5.85

$6.87 €6.17

-5.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 €8.09

$7.89 €7.08

14.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.41 €1.26

9.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.36

$2.54 €2.28

3.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.98

$3.14 €2.82

-29.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.38 €33.58

$25.45 €22.86

46.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.41 €5.76

$2.99 €2.69

114.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 €1.26

$1.49 €1.34

-6.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.81 €28.57

$33.37 €29.98

-4.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.80 €1.61

16.11%

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

$37.0K €33.2K

$33.2K €29.8K

11.34%

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

$35.4K €31.8K

$31.7K €28.5K

11.63%

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

$195 €175

$180 €162

8.17%

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

$13.10 €11.76

$13.84 €12.43

-5.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.99 €27.83

$33.70 €30.27

-8.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 €63.9

$51.5 €46.27

38.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 €20.31

$15.96 €14.34

41.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 €9.84

$10.99 €9.88

-0.27%

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

$763 €686

$917 €823

-16.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K €13.7K

$16.5K €14.8K

-7.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.5

$87.0 €78.2

-2.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.41 €37.20

$38.51 €34.59

7.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 €87.1

$106 €95.1

-8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.9

$120 €108

-9.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$856 €769

$1,699 €1,527

-49.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$661 €594

$1,355 €1,217

-51.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 €1,541

$2,603 €2,338

-34.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 €1,200

$2,062 €1,853

-35.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,557 €3,195

$6,915 €6,211

-48.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,291 €2,058

$5,128 €4,606

-55.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,028 €1,821

$2,211 €1,986

-8.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.28

0.30%

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

Last update for Modena: 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

Modena

$661 35.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 105% $694

Groceries & Markets

Modena

$373 19.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 13.8% $52

Eating Out

Modena

$305 16.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 12.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Modena

$239 12.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 4.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Modena

$149 7.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 5.9% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Modena

$93 5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 21% $20

Getting Around

Modena

$60 3.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 18.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $856 in Modena and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 9% 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: $88 in Modena vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Modena

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

Same time as Modena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

184,973

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Modena Barcelona 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Modena
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

Modena vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,881 in Modena and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Modena is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Modena. 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: $856 in Modena versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $763 in Modena 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 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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, Modena and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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