Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pamplona and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Pamplona: $1,934 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Pamplona
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Pamplona Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Pamplona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,934

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,934 in Pamplona versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Pamplona $1,934
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in Pamplona versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Pamplona $2,725
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,515 in Pamplona versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Pamplona $3,515
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Pamplona costs roughly 21% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pamplona 42% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 €15.77

$17.59 €15.75

0.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 €60.0

$67.5 €60.5

-0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.25 €11.86

$13.53 €12.12

-2.07%

Cappuccino

$2.86 €2.56

$3.19 €2.86

-10.34%

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

$3.05 €2.73

$2.91 €2.61

4.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.89 €1.70

6.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.09

$4.01 €3.59

-13.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$4.53 €4.06

-3.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.31 €1.17

-10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.02 €1.81

16.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.85 €1.66

-11.35%

Eggs

$2.92 €2.62

$4.83 €4.33

-39.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 €7.04

$9.12 €8.17

-13.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.61 €18.46

$19.64 €17.59

4.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.57

$2.98 €2.67

-3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.02 €1.81

6.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.70 €2.42

-12.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$2.80 €2.51

1.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.09 €1.87

-20.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.07 €1.85

-16.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.46 €1.31

-23.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.94 €0.84

60.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.11

$6.87 €6.15

-0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 €5.13

$7.89 €7.06

-27.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.41 €1.26

20.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.03

$2.54 €2.27

33.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.14 €2.82

-42.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 €46.88

$25.45 €22.79

105.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 €3.03

$2.99 €2.68

13.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.5 €45.21

$33.37 €29.89

51.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.80 €1.61

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

$35.6K €31.9K

$33.2K €29.7K

7.36%

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

$29.3K €26.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

-7.47%

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

$179 €160

$180 €162

-0.75%

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

$14.03 €12.57

$13.84 €12.39

1.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 €38.66

$33.70 €30.18

28.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.11 €37.71

$51.5 €46.13

-18.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.57 €13.94

$15.96 €14.29

-2.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 €8.85

$10.99 €9.85

-10.10%

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

$366 €328

$917 €821

-60.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 €67.2

$87.0 €77.9

-13.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.09 €29.63

$38.51 €34.49

-14.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 €65.3

$106 €94.8

-31.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$120 €107

-5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 €877

$1,699 €1,522

-42.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$866 €776

$1,355 €1,214

-36.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 €1,280

$2,603 €2,331

-45.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 €987

$2,062 €1,847

-46.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,676 €3,292

$6,915 €6,193

-46.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 €2,727

$5,128 €4,592

-40.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,108 €1,888

$2,211 €1,980

-4.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

3.28

31.10%

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

Last update for Pamplona: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pamplona

$866 44.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 56.4% $489

Groceries & Markets

Pamplona

$313 16.2%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 2.7% $8.5

Eating Out

Pamplona

$261 13.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 2.6% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pamplona

$236 12.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 3.5% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Pamplona

$132 6.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 19.5% $26

Getting Around

Pamplona

$63 * 3.3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 23.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Pamplona

$62 3.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 18.8% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Pamplona and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 5% 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 in Pamplona vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $322 per month, with Pamplona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Pamplona

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

Same time as Pamplona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

205,762

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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Highest

Between locations

Pamplona Barcelona 350 km

From you

Pamplona
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

Pamplona vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,934 in Pamplona and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Pamplona is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Pamplona. 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: $979 in Pamplona versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $366 in Pamplona versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 51% less than in Pamplona. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Pamplona and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Pamplona wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.