Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,935 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
Learn more

Quebec City Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,935

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,935 in Quebec City versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Quebec City $1,935
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,912 in Quebec City versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Quebec City $2,912
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,889 in Quebec City versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Quebec City $3,889
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Quebec City costs roughly 21% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 CA$29.64

$17.59 €15.76

20.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 CA$89.2

$67.5 €60.5

-5.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 CA$15.02

$13.53 €12.12

-20.55%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.35

$3.19 €2.86

20.06%

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

$2.13 CA$2.97

$2.91 €2.61

-26.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.09

$1.89 €1.70

-20.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 CA$7.94

$4.01 €3.59

41.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CA$8.21

$4.53 €4.06

29.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.88

$1.31 €1.17

57.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$2.02 €1.81

43.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.78

$1.85 €1.66

123.78%

Eggs

$3.15 CA$4.40

$4.83 €4.33

-34.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 CA$12.76

$16.74 €15.00

-45.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 CA$15.35

$9.12 €8.17

20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.62 CA$14.84

$19.64 €17.60

-45.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$2.98 €2.67

39.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$2.02 €1.81

-23.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.18

$2.70 €2.42

37.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$2.80 €2.51

44.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$2.09 €1.87

40.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$3.99

$2.07 €1.85

38.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 CA$3.81

$1.46 €1.31

86.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.12

$0.94 €0.84

61.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.78 CA$20.65

$6.87 €6.16

115.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.35 CA$15.86

$7.89 €7.07

43.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 CA$4.52

$1.41 €1.26

129.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 CA$4.81

$2.54 €2.27

35.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$3.14 €2.82

-7.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 CA$98.7

$25.45 €22.80

177.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$2.99 €2.68

-3.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$1.49 €1.34

-0.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.46 CA$49.54

$33.37 €29.91

6.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.81

$1.80 €1.61

-27.78%

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

$28.7K CA$40.1K

$33.2K €29.7K

-13.50%

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

$22.2K CA$31.0K

$31.7K €28.4K

-30.06%

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

$100 CA$140

$180 €162

-44.47%

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

$32.19 CA$44.97

$13.84 €12.40

132.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.61 CA$63.7

$33.70 €30.20

35.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.12 CA$46.27

$51.5 €46.16

-35.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.66 CA$17.68

$15.96 €14.30

-20.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.75

$10.99 €9.85

-3.91%

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

$676 CA$945

$917 €821

-26.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,492 CA$13.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

-42.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 CA$82.9

$87.0 €78.0

-31.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$38.51 €34.51

32.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$106 €94.8

-15.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$120 €107

-9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 CA$1,437

$1,699 €1,523

-39.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 CA$1,147

$1,355 €1,214

-39.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 CA$2,281

$2,603 €2,332

-37.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 CA$1,862

$2,062 €1,848

-35.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,733 CA$6,613

$6,915 €6,196

-31.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,728 CA$3,811

$5,128 €4,595

-46.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,906 CA$4,060

$2,211 €1,981

31.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

3.28

35.37%

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

Last update for Quebec City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quebec City

$821 42.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 65.1% $534

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$347 18%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 7.4% $26

Eating Out

Quebec City

$303 15.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 11.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$178 9.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 28.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$139 7.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 13.7% $19

Getting Around

Quebec City

$93 4.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 47.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$54 2.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 35.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,029 in Quebec City and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quebec City pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64 in Quebec City vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $347 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

6 h ahead of Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

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

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quebec City Barcelona 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Quebec City
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

Quebec City vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,935 in Quebec City and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Quebec City is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Quebec City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,029 in Quebec City versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $676 in Quebec City versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.