Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostia and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ostia: $1,756 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Ostia
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Ostia Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ostia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,756

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,756 in Ostia versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Ostia $1,756
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,594 in Ostia versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Ostia $2,594
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,432 in Ostia versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Ostia $3,432
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Ostia costs roughly 27% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ostia 30% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.69

$17.94 €15.96

-7.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$68.1 €60.5

-3.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.10

$13.28 €11.81

-14.46%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$3.25 €2.89

-30.77%

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

$2.33 €2.07

$3.01 €2.67

-22.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.87 €1.66

-35.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.85 €3.42

41.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.27

$4.48 €3.98

7.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.29 €1.15

29.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.04 €1.81

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.72 €1.53

74.42%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$4.77 €4.24

-4.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.27

$16.77 €14.92

-11.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.49 €11.11

$8.93 €7.94

39.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 €17.44

$19.88 €17.68

-1.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.98 €2.65

-13.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.03 €1.80

1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.73 €2.43

-14.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.68 €2.38

-11.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.10 €1.87

-31.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.08 €1.85

-23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.45 €1.29

-8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$0.89 €0.79

-42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$6.94 €6.17

-4.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$7.78 €6.92

-30.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.45 €1.29

7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.57 €2.29

-2.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.99 €2.66

-44.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.01 €34.70

$25.20 €22.41

54.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.93

$3.12 €2.77

41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.44 €1.28

-13.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.16 €20.60

$33.50 €29.80

-30.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.79 €1.59

20.11%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

1.85%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

17.78%

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

$197 €175

$178 €158

10.56%

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

$9.61 €8.55

$13.32 €11.85

-27.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.13 €27.69

$34.88 €31.03

-10.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.93

$53.3 €47.37

5.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 €9.96

$16.01 €14.24

-30.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 €9.85

$11.06 €9.84

0.09%

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

$449 €400

$957 €851

-53.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,805 €7,832

$16.6K €14.7K

-46.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 €64.2

$88.2 €78.4

-18.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.65 €32.60

$39.49 €35.12

-7.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 €75.2

$103 €91.5

-17.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$121 €108

2.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €759

$1,653 €1,470

-48.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €599

$1,302 €1,158

-48.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 €1,005

$2,557 €2,275

-55.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$990 €881

$1,915 €1,703

-48.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,992 €1,772

$2,281 €2,029

-12.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.28

6.71%

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

Last update for Ostia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostia

$673 38.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 93.4% $629

Groceries & Markets

Ostia

$324 18.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 1.1% $3.5

Eating Out

Ostia

$244 13.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 10.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostia

$237 13.5%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 4.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ostia

$143 8.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 10.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ostia

$78 4.5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 3.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Ostia

$56 3.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 15.6% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $853 in Ostia and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 14% 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: $66.0 in Ostia vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ostia

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

Same time as Ostia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,400

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

Ostia Barcelona 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ostia
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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

Ostia vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ostia and Barcelona differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,756 vs $2,399 including rent). Ostia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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: $853 in Ostia versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $449 in Ostia versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,756 in Ostia versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ostia but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ostia 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, Ostia 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 Ostia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.