Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Palma de Mallorca: $2,216 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Palma de Mallorca
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Palma de Mallorca Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Palma de Mallorca

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,216

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,216 in Palma de Mallorca versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Palma de Mallorca $2,216
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,278 in Palma de Mallorca versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Palma de Mallorca $3,278
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Palma de Mallorca versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Palma de Mallorca $4,341
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Palma de Mallorca costs roughly 8% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palma de Mallorca 64% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.70 €16.63

$17.94 €15.96

4.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 €59.4

$68.1 €60.5

-1.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$13.28 €11.81

1.58%

Cappuccino

$3.16 €2.81

$3.25 €2.89

-2.77%

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

$2.59 €2.31

$3.01 €2.67

-13.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.34

$1.87 €1.66

41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 €4.07

$3.85 €3.42

18.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.43

$4.48 €3.98

-13.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.29 €1.15

5.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.04 €1.81

-44.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.72 €1.53

-6.40%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.04

$4.77 €4.24

-28.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 €13.11

$16.77 €14.91

-12.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 €7.71

$8.93 €7.94

-3.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.05 €14.28

$19.88 €17.68

-19.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.98 €2.65

-15.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.03 €1.80

-0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$2.73 €2.43

-38.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.68 €2.38

4.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$2.10 €1.87

-9.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.08 €1.85

3.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.45 €1.29

-11.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$0.89 €0.79

-22.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.00

$6.94 €6.17

-2.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.66 €5.04

$7.78 €6.92

-27.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.45 €1.29

-5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.57 €2.29

-24.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.99 €2.66

-26.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.00 €36.46

$25.20 €22.41

62.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 €4.46

$3.12 €2.77

60.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.44 €1.28

-9.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.14 €21.47

$33.50 €29.80

-27.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.79 €1.59

0.56%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$34.6K €30.8K

0.89%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$30.1K €26.7K

3.10%

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

$250 €222

$178 €158

40.37%

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

$23.67 €21.05

$13.32 €11.85

77.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.21 €37.54

$34.88 €31.02

21.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 €54.4

$53.3 €47.36

14.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.31 €24.29

$16.01 €14.24

70.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.56 €8.50

$11.06 €9.84

-13.56%

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

$604 €537

$957 €851

-36.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,179

$16.6K €14.7K

-37.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 €64.1

$88.2 €78.4

-18.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 €48.11

$39.49 €35.12

36.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 €86.6

$103 €91.4

-5.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$121 €108

8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 €1,328

$1,653 €1,470

-9.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$1,302 €1,158

-19.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,340 €2,082

$2,557 €2,275

-8.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,787 €1,589

$1,915 €1,703

-6.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,823 €6,068

$7,286 €6,480

-6.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,787 €3,368

$5,080 €4,518

-25.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,046 €1,820

$2,281 €2,028

-10.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.07

3.28

-6.40%

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

Last update for Palma de Mallorca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palma de Mallorca

$1K 47.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 24.2% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palma de Mallorca

$316 14.2%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 28.4% $89

Eating Out

Palma de Mallorca

$280 12.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 3.4% $9.5

Groceries & Markets

Palma de Mallorca

$272 12.3%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 17.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Palma de Mallorca

$160 7.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 0.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Palma de Mallorca

$80 3.6%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 6.1% $4.9

Getting Around

Palma de Mallorca

$61 2.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 22.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,494 in Palma de Mallorca and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 11% 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: $67.0 in Palma de Mallorca vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $320 per month, with Palma de Mallorca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Palma de Mallorca

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

Same time as Palma de Mallorca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,350

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Palma de Mallorca vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,216 vs $2,399 including rent). Palma de Mallorca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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: $1,494 in Palma de Mallorca versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $604 in Palma de Mallorca versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,216 in Palma de Mallorca versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Palma de Mallorca but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Palma de Mallorca 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, Palma de Mallorca 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 Palma de Mallorca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.