Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mouscron and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mouscron: $2,182 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Mouscron
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Mouscron Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mouscron

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,182

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,182 in Mouscron versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Mouscron $2,182
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Mouscron versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Mouscron $3,123
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,063 in Mouscron versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Mouscron $4,063
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Mouscron costs roughly 11% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mouscron 60% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €20.11

$17.59 €15.80

27.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €71.1

$67.5 €60.6

17.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.89

$13.53 €12.15

-2.22%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.92

$3.19 €2.87

36.99%

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

$2.97 €2.67

$2.91 €2.62

2.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.65

$1.89 €1.70

56.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.14

$4.01 €3.60

42.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.92

$4.53 €4.07

-3.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.31 €1.17

6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 €2.38

$2.02 €1.81

31.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.85 €1.66

11.89%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.48

$4.83 €4.34

-19.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.70 €10.51

$16.74 €15.03

-30.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.13 €10.90

$9.12 €8.19

33.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 €16.89

$19.64 €17.64

-4.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$2.98 €2.68

-10.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.92

$2.02 €1.81

5.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €2.01

$2.70 €2.43

-17.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.80 €2.52

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.09 €1.87

8.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$2.07 €1.86

-19.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.46 €1.31

1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$0.94 €0.84

2.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.56 €12.18

$6.87 €6.17

97.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.67

$7.89 €7.08

-5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.41 €1.26

48.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.66

$2.54 €2.28

-27.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.61

$3.14 €2.82

-7.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.0 €46.72

$25.45 €22.86

104.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 €9.01

$2.99 €2.69

235.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 €2.14

$1.49 €1.34

60.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.19 €22.63

$33.37 €29.98

-24.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.80 €1.61

10.00%

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

$35.5K €31.9K

$33.2K €29.8K

6.96%

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

$37.0K €33.2K

$31.7K €28.5K

16.76%

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

$211 €190

$180 €162

17.13%

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

$18.20 €16.35

$13.84 €12.43

31.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 €47.03

$33.70 €30.27

55.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.72 €32.99

$51.5 €46.27

-28.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.40 €15.63

$15.96 €14.34

9.02%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.90

$10.99 €9.88

30.66%

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

$710 €638

$917 €823

-22.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.7K

$16.5K €14.8K

-0.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.6 €86.8

$87.0 €78.2

11.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.10 €23.45

$38.51 €34.59

-32.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 €80.8

$106 €95.1

-15.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €130

$120 €108

20.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 €835

$1,699 €1,527

-45.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 €842

$1,355 €1,217

-30.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 €1,200

$2,603 €2,338

-48.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,133

$2,062 €1,853

-38.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,446 €3,994

$6,915 €6,211

-35.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,870 €2,578

$5,128 €4,606

-44.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,148 €3,727

$2,211 €1,986

87.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.28

7.32%

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

Last update for Mouscron: 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

Mouscron

$937 42.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 44.7% $418

Eating Out

Mouscron

$332 15.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 19.4% $64

Groceries & Markets

Mouscron

$319 14.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 0.9% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mouscron

$282 12.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 19.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Mouscron

$161 7.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 1.8% $2.9

Getting Around

Mouscron

$86 3.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 43.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Mouscron

$65 3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 12.3% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $930 in Mouscron and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mouscron pays 88% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79 in Mouscron vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $322, with Mouscron cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mouscron

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

Same time as Mouscron

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,626

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mouscron Barcelona 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mouscron
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

Mouscron vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,182 in Mouscron and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Mouscron is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% higher in Mouscron, 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: $930 in Mouscron versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $710 in Mouscron versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $79 in Mouscron. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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