Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roubaix and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Roubaix: $1,656 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Roubaix
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Roubaix Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Roubaix

🇫🇷 France

$1,656

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Roubaix versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Roubaix $1,656
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,580 in Roubaix versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Roubaix $2,580
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,505 in Roubaix versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Roubaix $3,505
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Roubaix costs roughly 30% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Roubaix 22% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.16

$17.89 €15.92

1.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 €65.8

$66.2 €58.9

11.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.11

$13.69 €12.18

-0.51%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$3.06 €2.72

25.16%

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

$3.19 €2.84

$3.07 €2.73

3.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.94 €1.73

-15.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 €6.75

$3.87 €3.44

96.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$4.61 €4.10

22.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.30 €1.16

-12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.10 €1.87

-24.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.83 €1.62

54.10%

Eggs

$2.04 €1.81

$4.62 €4.11

-55.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 €11.30

$17.36 €15.44

-26.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 €8.01

$9.28 €8.25

-2.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 €11.64

$19.83 €17.64

-34.04%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 €0.88

$3.01 €2.68

-67.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.03 €1.81

-45.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.65 €2.36

-17.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.87 €2.55

-5.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 €0.67

$2.16 €1.92

-64.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$2.15 €1.91

-57.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.47 €1.31

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 €0.19

$0.88 €0.79

-75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 €10.37

$6.93 €6.16

68.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.48 €7.55

$7.83 €6.96

8.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.10

$1.39 €1.24

70.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.63 €2.34

62.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.91 €2.59

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.11 €42.80

$25.46 €22.64

88.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.00 €2.66

-26.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.44 €1.28

49.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.07 €21.41

$33.20 €29.53

-27.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.86 €1.65

11.29%

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

$28.3K €25.1K

$32.3K €28.8K

-12.58%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$31.7K €28.2K

-12.71%

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

$176 €157

$183 €163

-3.44%

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

$15.18 €13.50

$13.61 €12.11

11.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.56 €27.18

$32.93 €29.29

-7.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.62 €31.68

$54.7 €48.65

-34.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 €9.76

$11.23 €9.99

-2.32%

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

$629 €560

$954 €849

-34.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,319 €7,399

$16.6K €14.8K

-49.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.4

$86.0 €76.5

1.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 €35.76

$39.11 €34.78

2.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.5

$104 €92.2

-2.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.1

$119 €106

-13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €672

$1,695 €1,508

-55.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 €537

$1,276 €1,135

-52.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 €1,209

$2,576 €2,291

-47.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €1,007

$1,922 €1,710

-41.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,519

$7,281 €6,477

-45.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,007 €2,675

$5,010 €4,456

-39.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,761 €1,566

$2,227 €1,981

-20.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

3.28

19.51%

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

Last update for Roubaix: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roubaix

$604 36.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 111% $672

Eating Out

Roubaix

$301 18.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 10.4% $31

Groceries & Markets

Roubaix

$254 15.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 28.1% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roubaix

$222 13.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 3.2% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Roubaix

$149 9%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 5.2% $7.7

Getting Around

Roubaix

$69 4.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 31.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Roubaix

$58 3.5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 34.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Roubaix and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 26% 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: $74.0 in Roubaix vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $325, with Roubaix cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Roubaix

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

Same time as Roubaix

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,892

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Roubaix Barcelona 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Roubaix
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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

Roubaix vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roubaix and Barcelona differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $2,381 including rent). Roubaix is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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: $756 in Roubaix versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $629 in Roubaix versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Roubaix versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Roubaix but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Roubaix 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, Roubaix 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 Roubaix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.