Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rouen and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Rouen: $1,734 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Rouen
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Rouen Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Rouen

🇫🇷 France

$1,734

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,734 in Rouen versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Rouen $1,734
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,616 in Rouen versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Rouen $2,616
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,498 in Rouen versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Rouen $3,498
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Rouen costs roughly 27% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rouen 28% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 €14.90

$17.89 €15.92

-6.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 €59.4

$66.2 €58.9

1.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.86

$13.69 €12.18

-19.07%

Cappuccino

$3.30 €2.93

$3.06 €2.72

7.84%

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

$3.66 €3.26

$3.07 €2.73

19.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.86

$1.94 €1.73

65.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.31 €6.50

$3.87 €3.44

88.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.10

$4.61 €4.10

48.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.30 €1.16

13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.10 €1.87

-49.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.83 €1.62

22.40%

Eggs

$3.56 €3.17

$4.62 €4.11

-22.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.50 €16.46

$17.36 €15.44

6.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 €7.89

$9.28 €8.25

-4.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.98 €24.00

$19.83 €17.64

36.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$3.01 €2.68

-15.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.03 €1.81

43.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.65 €2.36

-7.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 €2.78

$2.87 €2.55

9.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.16 €1.92

-5.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.15 €1.91

-30.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.47 €1.31

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.38

$0.88 €0.79

-51.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.34 €12.76

$6.93 €6.16

106.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.92

$7.83 €6.96

-15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.39 €1.24

92.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.63 €2.34

25.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.91 €2.59

-32.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.79 €43.40

$25.46 €22.64

91.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 €7.83

$3.00 €2.66

193.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.44 €1.28

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.89 €30.14

$33.20 €29.53

2.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.86 €1.65

15.59%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

7.73%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$31.7K €28.2K

12.44%

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

$211 €187

$183 €163

15.30%

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

$23.28 €20.71

$13.61 €12.11

71.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.42 €35.06

$32.93 €29.29

19.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 €37.66

$54.7 €48.65

-22.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.90 €15.03

$16.52 €14.70

2.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.78

$11.23 €9.99

27.87%

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

$902 €802

$954 €849

-5.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K €9,040

$16.6K €14.8K

-38.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €75.9

$86.0 €76.5

-0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 €85.4

$104 €92.2

-7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.5

$119 €106

-13.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 €616

$1,695 €1,508

-59.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 €505

$1,276 €1,135

-55.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 €1,092

$2,576 €2,291

-52.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$909 €809

$1,922 €1,710

-52.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,930 €3,496

$7,281 €6,477

-46.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 €2,105

$5,010 €4,456

-52.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,579 €2,294

$2,227 €1,981

15.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

3.28

16.16%

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

Last update for Rouen: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rouen

$567 32.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 125% $709

Groceries & Markets

Rouen

$338 19.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 3.8% $13

Eating Out

Rouen

$285 16.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 5.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rouen

$273 15.8%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 16.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Rouen

$128 * 7.4%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 22.2% $28

Getting Around

Rouen

$71 4.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 33.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Rouen

$71 4.1%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 8.6% $6.1

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 $692 in Rouen and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rouen pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Rouen vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rouen

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

Same time as Rouen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,083

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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Between locations

Rouen Barcelona 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rouen
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

Rouen vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rouen and Barcelona differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,734 vs $2,381 including rent). Rouen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Rouen, 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: $692 in Rouen versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $902 in Rouen versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,734 in Rouen versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rouen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Rouen 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, Rouen 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 Rouen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.