Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monza and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Monza: $2,021 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Monza
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Monza Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Monza

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,021

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,021 in Monza versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Monza $2,021
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,136 in Monza versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Monza $3,136
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,252 in Monza versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Monza $4,252
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Monza costs roughly 18% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monza 48% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.91 €19.68

$17.59 €15.80

24.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.6 €81.4

$67.5 €60.6

34.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.94

$13.53 €12.15

-18.26%

Cappuccino

$1.80 €1.62

$3.19 €2.87

-43.57%

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

$3.61 €3.24

$2.91 €2.62

24.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.89 €1.70

-31.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.97

$4.01 €3.60

37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 €5.49

$4.53 €4.07

34.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.31 €1.17

10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.02 €1.81

11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.18

$1.85 €1.66

91.35%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.05

$4.83 €4.34

-29.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.77 €20.46

$16.74 €15.04

36.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 €12.52

$9.12 €8.19

52.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.69 €20.39

$19.64 €17.64

15.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.98 €2.68

-9.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$2.02 €1.81

-11.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.93

$2.70 €2.43

20.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.93

$2.80 €2.52

16.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.89

$2.09 €1.87

0.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$2.07 €1.86

-4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.46 €1.31

23.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.59

$0.94 €0.84

-29.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.97

$6.87 €6.17

-3.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.99

$7.89 €7.09

-29.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.41 €1.26

34.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.99

$2.54 €2.28

-12.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.65

$3.14 €2.82

-6.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €59.3

$25.45 €22.86

159.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 €7.09

$2.99 €2.69

163.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.49 €1.34

-18.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.21 €30.74

$33.37 €29.99

2.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.80 €1.62

12.22%

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

$36.6K €32.9K

$33.2K €29.8K

10.21%

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

$35.7K €32.1K

$31.7K €28.5K

12.73%

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

$195 €175

$180 €162

8.08%

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

$10.31 €9.27

$13.84 €12.43

-25.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.59 €24.79

$33.70 €30.28

-18.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.47

$51.5 €46.28

-8.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.42 €34.52

$15.96 €14.34

140.73%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 €11.55

$10.99 €9.88

17.02%

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

$877 €788

$917 €824

-4.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.9K

$16.5K €14.8K

14.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 €81.7

$87.0 €78.2

4.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.37 €40.76

$38.51 €34.60

17.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €99.0

$106 €95.1

4.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €146

$120 €108

35.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 €918

$1,699 €1,527

-39.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €696

$1,355 €1,218

-42.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,725

$2,603 €2,339

-26.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,162

$2,062 €1,853

-37.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,300 €3,863

$6,915 €6,213

-37.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,927 €2,630

$5,128 €4,607

-42.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,951 €1,753

$2,211 €1,986

-11.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

3.28

10.37%

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

Last update for Monza: 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

Monza

$775 38.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 74.9% $581

Groceries & Markets

Monza

$375 18.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 14.2% $53

Eating Out

Monza

$290 14.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 7.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monza

$233 11.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 2.1% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Monza

$184 9.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 14.2% $26

Getting Around

Monza

$92 4.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 47.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Monza

$73 3.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 0.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,022 in Monza and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 13% 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 Monza vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Monza

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

Same time as Monza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,204

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monza Barcelona 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monza
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

Monza vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monza and Barcelona differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,021 vs $2,453 including rent). Monza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Monza. 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: $1,022 in Monza versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $877 in Monza 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 are expensive relative to $2,000. Monza is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Monza 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.

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