Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phoenix and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Phoenix: $842 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Phoenix

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$842

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $842 in Phoenix versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Phoenix $842
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,313 in Phoenix versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Phoenix $1,313
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,784 in Phoenix versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Phoenix $1,784
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Phoenix costs roughly 66% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phoenix is 38% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 MUR 102

$17.59 €15.75

-87.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.24 MUR 1,472

$67.5 €60.5

-53.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 MUR 353

$13.53 €12.12

-44.64%

Cappuccino

$5.40 MUR 255

$3.19 €2.86

69.28%

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

$0.65 MUR 30.75

$2.91 €2.61

-77.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MUR 25.73

$1.89 €1.70

-70.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 MUR 99.4

$4.01 €3.59

-47.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 MUR 253

$4.53 €4.06

18.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 MUR 70.9

$1.31 €1.17

14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 MUR 18.93

$2.02 €1.81

-80.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 MUR 102

$1.85 €1.66

17.30%

Eggs

$5.01 MUR 236

$4.83 €4.33

3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 MUR 393

$9.12 €8.17

-8.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.30 MUR 297

$19.64 €17.59

-67.92%

Apples (1kg)

$7.41 MUR 349

$2.98 €2.67

148.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.79 MUR 178

$2.02 €1.81

87.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.63 MUR 218

$2.70 €2.42

71.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MUR 72.2

$2.80 €2.51

-45.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 MUR 41.92

$2.09 €1.87

-57.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 MUR 38.31

$2.07 €1.85

-60.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MUR 33.15

$1.46 €1.31

-52.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 MUR 35.73

$0.94 €0.84

-19.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

Wine (Bottle)

$10.54 MUR 497

$7.89 €7.06

33.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 MUR 97.2

$1.41 €1.26

46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 MUR 48.75

$3.14 €2.82

-67.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.76 MUR 507

$25.45 €22.79

-57.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 MUR 68.6

$1.49 €1.34

-2.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 MUR 60.9

$1.80 €1.61

-28.33%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$31.7K €28.4K

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

$180 €162

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

$14.45 MUR 681

$13.84 €12.39

4.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.12 MUR 1,184

$33.70 €30.18

-25.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.60 MUR 1,207

$51.5 €46.13

-50.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$5.39 MUR 254

$10.99 €9.85

-50.96%

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

$917 €821

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 MUR 2,526

$87.0 €77.9

-38.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.5 MUR 2,519

$38.51 €34.49

38.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 MUR 25.0K

$1,699 €1,522

-68.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 MUR 15.2K

$1,355 €1,214

-76.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$855 MUR 40.3K

$2,603 €2,331

-67.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 MUR 24.7K

$2,062 €1,847

-74.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$939 MUR 44.2K

$2,211 €1,980

-57.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

52.44%

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

Last update for Phoenix: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phoenix

–

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Groceries & Markets

Phoenix

–

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Eating Out

Phoenix

–

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phoenix

–

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Phoenix

–

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Phoenix

–

Barcelona

$74 3%

Getting Around

Phoenix

–

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Phoenix and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.4 times 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: $31 in Phoenix vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $322 per month, with Phoenix cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Phoenix

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

3 h behind Phoenix

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,289

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.13 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.62 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phoenix Barcelona 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Phoenix vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $842 in Phoenix and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Phoenix is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Phoenix. 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: $531 in Phoenix versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phoenix – a meal for two runs $31 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Phoenix runs roughly 58% less than in Barcelona. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $842 in Phoenix versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Phoenix but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Phoenix 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, Phoenix and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phoenix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.