Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nimes and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Nimes: $1,776 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Nimes
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Nimes Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Nimes

🇫🇷 France

$1,776

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,776 in Nimes versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Nimes $1,776
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,908 in Nimes versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Nimes $2,908
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,039 in Nimes versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Nimes $4,039
Barcelona $4,564

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nimes 31% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.89 €15.17

$17.59 €15.80

-3.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €50.4

$67.5 €60.6

-16.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.38 €11.12

$13.53 €12.15

-8.50%

Cappuccino

$3.33 €2.99

$3.19 €2.87

4.39%

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

$2.24 €2.01

$2.91 €2.62

-23.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.89 €1.70

-40.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 €6.20

$4.01 €3.60

72.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €5.00

$4.53 €4.07

22.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.19

$1.31 €1.17

0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.02 €1.81

-26.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$1.85 €1.66

29.19%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.57

$4.83 €4.34

-17.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 €11.64

$16.74 €15.03

-22.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 €9.91

$9.12 €8.19

20.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.04 €21.60

$19.64 €17.64

22.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.45

$2.98 €2.68

-8.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.02 €1.81

6.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.70 €2.43

3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 €4.52

$2.80 €2.52

79.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$2.09 €1.87

22.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.07 €1.86

13.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.46 €1.31

-4.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.19

$0.94 €0.84

40.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.14 €12.70

$6.87 €6.17

105.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €5.11

$7.89 €7.08

-27.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.98

$1.41 €1.26

134.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.61

$2.54 €2.28

14.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.14 €2.82

-42.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.42 €36.31

$25.45 €22.86

58.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 €2.76

$2.99 €2.69

2.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.29

$1.49 €1.34

-4.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.20 €27.13

$33.37 €29.98

-9.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.84

$1.80 €1.61

13.33%

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

$25.2K €22.6K

$33.2K €29.8K

-24.17%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$31.7K €28.5K

4.68%

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

$202 €181

$180 €162

11.82%

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

$27.83 €25.00

$13.84 €12.43

101.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 €31.12

$33.70 €30.27

2.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.63 €37.39

$51.5 €46.27

-19.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.01 €9.89

$15.96 €14.34

-31.02%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 €12.09

$10.99 €9.88

22.47%

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

$601 €540

$917 €823

-34.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,409 €6,655

$16.5K €14.8K

-55.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.1

$87.0 €78.2

-0.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 €35.26

$38.51 €34.59

1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 €82.9

$106 €95.1

-12.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €132

$120 €108

22.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$722 €649

$1,699 €1,527

-57.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 €539

$1,355 €1,217

-55.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 €1,284

$2,603 €2,338

-45.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 €1,316

$2,062 €1,853

-28.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,405 €3,059

$6,915 €6,211

-50.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,380 €2,138

$5,128 €4,606

-53.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,305 €2,071

$2,211 €1,986

4.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

3.28

11.59%

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

Last update for Nimes: 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

Nimes

$600 33.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 126% $756

Groceries & Markets

Nimes

$350 19.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 8.1% $28

Eating Out

Nimes

$271 15.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 1.3% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nimes

$264 14.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 13.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Nimes

$164 9.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 3.9% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nimes

$69 3.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 7.2% $5

Getting Around

Nimes

$58 3.3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 16.3% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $722 in Nimes and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nimes pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56 in Nimes vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Nimes

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

Same time as Nimes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,104

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

Nimes Barcelona 330 km

From you

Nimes
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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

Nimes vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nimes and Barcelona differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,776 vs $2,453 including rent). Nimes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Nimes, 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: $722 in Nimes versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $601 in Nimes 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 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,776 in Nimes versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nimes but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Nimes 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, Nimes 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.