Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novara and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Novara: $1,483 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Novara
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Novara Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Novara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,483

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,483 in Novara versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Novara $1,483
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,293 in Novara versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Novara $2,293
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,103 in Novara versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Novara $3,103
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Novara costs roughly 38% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Novara 9% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.78 €14.92

$17.89 €15.92

-6.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.3

$66.2 €58.9

-14.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 €9.12

$13.69 €12.18

-25.13%

Cappuccino

$1.74 €1.55

$3.06 €2.72

-43.14%

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

$3.46 €3.08

$3.07 €2.73

12.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.94 €1.73

-11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.96

$3.87 €3.44

43.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 €4.52

$4.61 €4.10

10.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.30 €1.16

6.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.10 €1.87

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$1.83 €1.62

57.38%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.96

$4.62 €4.11

-27.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 €10.14

$17.36 €15.44

-34.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 €7.79

$9.28 €8.25

-5.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 €11.76

$19.83 €17.64

-33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.01 €2.68

-15.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.46

$2.03 €1.81

-18.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.65 €2.36

28.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.87 €2.55

-24.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.16 €1.92

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.15 €1.91

-46.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.47 €1.31

-29.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.88 €0.79

-14.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.55

$6.93 €6.16

-10.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 €4.96

$7.83 €6.96

-28.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.39 €1.24

32.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.63 €2.34

-13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.91 €2.59

-41.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.24 €34.01

$25.46 €22.64

50.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.87

$3.00 €2.66

45.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.44 €1.28

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.82 €30.97

$33.20 €29.53

4.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.86 €1.65

10.22%

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

$26.9K €23.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-16.88%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$31.7K €28.2K

5.37%

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

$176 €157

$183 €163

-3.47%

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

$10.41 €9.26

$13.61 €12.11

-23.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.24 €26.90

$32.93 €29.29

-8.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.3 €69.6

$54.7 €48.65

43.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 €16.86

$16.52 €14.70

14.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.13

$11.23 €9.99

1.42%

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

$517 €460

$954 €849

-45.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,907 €8,813

$16.6K €14.8K

-40.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 €110

$86.0 €76.5

43.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 €30.27

$39.11 €34.78

-12.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 €49.40

$104 €92.2

-46.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €123

$119 €106

16.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 €573

$1,695 €1,508

-62.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 €389

$1,276 €1,135

-65.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$2,576 €2,291

-59.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 €698

$1,922 €1,710

-59.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,850 €2,535

$7,281 €6,477

-60.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 €1,666

$5,010 €4,456

-62.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,082 €1,852

$2,227 €1,981

-6.52%

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 Novara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novara

$438 29.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 192% $839

Groceries & Markets

Novara

$269 18.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 20.8% $56

Eating Out

Novara

$245 16.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 10.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novara

$217 14.6%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 5.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Novara

$158 10.7%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 1.3% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Novara

$101 6.8%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 23.6% $24

Getting Around

Novara

$55 3.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 14.5% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $644 in Novara and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 7% 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: $57.0 in Novara vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $325 per month, with Novara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Novara

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

Same time as Novara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,910

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Novara Barcelona 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Novara
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

Novara vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novara and Barcelona differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,483 vs $2,381 including rent). Novara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Barcelona. 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: $644 in Novara versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $517 in Novara versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,483 in Novara versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Novara but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Novara 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, Novara 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.

Expats usually find Novara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.