Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mulhouse and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mulhouse: $1,765 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Mulhouse
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Mulhouse Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mulhouse

🇫🇷 France

$1,765

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,765 in Mulhouse versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Mulhouse $1,765
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Mulhouse versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Mulhouse $2,829
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,892 in Mulhouse versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Mulhouse $3,892
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Mulhouse costs roughly 28% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mulhouse 30% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.76 €20.38

$17.59 €15.75

29.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 €68.3

$67.5 €60.5

12.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.39 €10.20

$13.53 €12.12

-15.82%

Cappuccino

$3.39 €3.04

$3.19 €2.86

6.27%

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

$3.11 €2.79

$2.91 €2.61

6.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.89 €1.70

4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.38 €3.92

$4.01 €3.59

9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 €3.49

$4.53 €4.06

-13.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.19

$1.31 €1.17

0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.02 €1.81

7.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$1.85 €1.66

35.68%

Eggs

$3.86 €3.46

$4.83 €4.33

-20.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 €12.03

$16.74 €14.99

-19.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 €12.05

$9.12 €8.17

47.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.97 €18.78

$19.64 €17.59

6.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.21

$2.98 €2.67

20.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.02 €1.81

12.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.55 €4.08

$2.70 €2.42

68.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.10 €5.46

$2.80 €2.51

117.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.86

$2.09 €1.87

52.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.07 €1.85

6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.46 €1.31

30.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.88

$0.94 €0.84

4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.27 €10.99

$6.87 €6.15

78.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 €6.94

$7.89 €7.06

-1.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.74

$1.41 €1.26

117.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.08

$2.54 €2.27

35.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.64

$3.14 €2.82

-41.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.43 €44.27

$25.45 €22.79

94.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.99 €2.68

14.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.38 €3.02

$1.49 €1.34

126.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.73 €24.84

$33.37 €29.89

-16.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.80 €1.61

10.00%

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

$36.0K €32.2K

$33.2K €29.7K

8.34%

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

$37.5K €33.6K

$31.7K €28.4K

18.24%

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

$245 €220

$180 €162

35.88%

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

$31.98 €28.64

$13.84 €12.39

131.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.47 €29.08

$33.70 €30.18

-3.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.12 €38.62

$51.5 €46.13

-16.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.45 €40.71

$15.96 €14.29

184.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 €10.56

$10.99 €9.85

7.28%

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

$710 €636

$917 €821

-22.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,415 €7,537

$16.5K €14.8K

-48.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.0 €58.2

$87.0 €77.9

-25.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.76 €34.71

$38.51 €34.49

0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 €79.6

$106 €94.8

-15.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €123

$120 €107

15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 €521

$1,699 €1,522

-65.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 €425

$1,355 €1,214

-65.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,037

$2,603 €2,331

-55.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 €874

$2,062 €1,847

-52.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,377 €2,128

$6,915 €6,193

-65.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,648 €1,476

$5,128 €4,592

-67.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,164 €1,938

$2,211 €1,980

-2.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.28

8.54%

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

Last update for Mulhouse: 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

Mulhouse

$474 26.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 186% $881

Groceries & Markets

Mulhouse

$382 21.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 15.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mulhouse

$310 17.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 26.4% $82

Eating Out

Mulhouse

$307 17.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 12.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Mulhouse

$149 8.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 6.2% $9.3

Getting Around

Mulhouse

$77 4.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 37.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mulhouse

$67 3.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10.2% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $581 in Mulhouse and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76 in Mulhouse vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Mulhouse

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

Same time as Mulhouse

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,341

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

Mulhouse Barcelona 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mulhouse
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

Mulhouse vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,765 in Mulhouse and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Mulhouse is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,648 in Mulhouse and $3,679 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $581 in Mulhouse versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $710 in Mulhouse 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 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,765 in Mulhouse versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mulhouse but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Mulhouse the clear choice for anyone on this 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, Mulhouse and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.