Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Msida and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Msida: $1,805 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,805

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,805 in Msida versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Msida $1,805
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,670 in Msida versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Msida $2,670
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Msida versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Msida $3,536
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Msida costs roughly 26% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Msida 33% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.29 €10.12

$17.59 €15.76

-35.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 €44.88

$67.5 €60.5

-25.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 €9.61

$13.53 €12.12

-20.77%

Cappuccino

$2.26 €2.03

$3.19 €2.86

-29.15%

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

$2.26 €2.02

$2.91 €2.61

-22.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.89 €1.70

-41.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.12

$4.01 €3.59

14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.09

$4.53 €4.06

-23.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.31 €1.17

-14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$2.02 €1.81

-33.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 €4.00

$1.85 €1.66

141.08%

Eggs

$2.65 €2.37

$4.83 €4.33

-45.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 €7.60

$16.74 €15.00

-49.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.44 €9.35

$9.12 €8.17

14.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.08 €16.20

$19.64 €17.60

-7.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 €3.82

$2.98 €2.67

43.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$2.02 €1.81

40.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$2.70 €2.42

36.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.97

$2.80 €2.51

18.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.09 €1.87

5.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.07 €1.85

-8.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.46 €1.31

60.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.94 €0.84

37.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.89

$6.87 €6.16

-4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 €7.24

$7.89 €7.07

2.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.41 €1.26

21.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.15

$2.54 €2.27

-5.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.95

$3.14 €2.82

-30.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.88

$2.99 €2.68

82.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.49 €1.34

45.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.80 €24.02

$33.37 €29.91

-19.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.80 €1.61

-17.22%

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

$37.1K €33.3K

$33.2K €29.7K

11.80%

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

$39.7K €35.6K

$31.7K €28.4K

25.17%

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

$84.8 €76.0

$180 €162

-53.01%

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

$25.53 €22.88

$13.84 €12.40

84.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.62 €24.75

$33.70 €30.20

-18.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 €50.5

$51.5 €46.16

9.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 €8.93

$10.99 €9.85

-9.37%

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

$363 €325

$917 €821

-60.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,813

$16.5K €14.8K

-33.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €77.1

$87.0 €78.0

-1.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.84 €35.70

$38.51 €34.51

3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €88.1

$106 €94.8

-7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 €70.4

$120 €107

-34.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €939

$1,699 €1,523

-38.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 €821

$1,355 €1,214

-32.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 €1,634

$2,603 €2,332

-29.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 €1,330

$2,062 €1,848

-28.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,734 €2,450

$2,211 €1,981

23.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

3.28

-11.59%

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

Last update for Msida: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Msida

$917 50.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 47.8% $439

Groceries & Markets

Msida

$320 17.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 0.7% $2.3

Eating Out

Msida

$193 10.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 38.8% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Msida

$138 7.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 65.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Msida

$136 7.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 16% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Msida

$76 4.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 3.6% $2.8

Getting Around

Msida

$25 * 1.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 93.6% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,048 in Msida and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Msida pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50 in Msida vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $322 per month, with Msida cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Msida

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

Same time as Msida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Msida Barcelona 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Msida
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

Msida vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,805 in Msida and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Msida is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Msida, 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: $1,048 in Msida versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $363 in Msida versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,805 per month in Msida versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Msida is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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