Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trieste and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Trieste: $1,885 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Trieste
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Trieste Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Trieste

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,885

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,885 in Trieste versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Trieste $1,885
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,827 in Trieste versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Trieste $2,827
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,768 in Trieste versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Trieste $3,768
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Trieste costs roughly 23% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Trieste 39% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.99 €19.75

$17.59 €15.80

25.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.7

$67.5 €60.6

-1.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 €10.44

$13.53 €12.15

-14.12%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.97

$3.19 €2.87

-31.03%

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

$3.74 €3.36

$2.91 €2.62

28.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.89 €1.70

8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.92

$4.01 €3.60

64.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 €4.89

$4.53 €4.07

20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.31 €1.17

68.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 €2.88

$2.02 €1.81

58.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 €3.36

$1.85 €1.66

102.16%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.71

$4.83 €4.34

-14.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.97 €13.44

$16.74 €15.03

-10.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.40 €10.24

$9.12 €8.19

25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 €15.30

$19.64 €17.64

-13.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.58

$2.98 €2.68

-3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.02 €1.81

7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.70 €2.43

10.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 €4.21

$2.80 €2.52

67.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.09 €1.87

24.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$2.07 €1.86

29.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.46 €1.31

58.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.94 €0.84

-18.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.94

$6.87 €6.17

-3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.99

$7.89 €7.08

-1.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.66

$1.41 €1.26

30.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.22

$2.54 €2.28

-2.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.48

$3.14 €2.82

-47.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.10 €39.62

$25.45 €22.86

73.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 €7.95

$2.99 €2.69

195.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.49 €1.34

25.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.07 €29.70

$33.37 €29.98

-0.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.80 €1.61

23.33%

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

$36.2K €32.5K

$33.2K €29.8K

9.14%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$31.7K €28.5K

18.49%

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

$218 €196

$180 €162

20.68%

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

$9.94 €8.93

$13.84 €12.43

-28.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 €27.55

$33.70 €30.27

-8.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.99 €43.11

$51.5 €46.27

-6.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.76 €36.62

$15.96 €14.34

155.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 €8.14

$10.99 €9.88

-17.56%

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

$753 €677

$917 €823

-17.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$16.5K €14.8K

-29.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €98.2

$87.0 €78.2

25.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.06 €30.59

$38.51 €34.59

-11.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$106 €95.1

5.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$120 €108

11.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$791 €710

$1,699 €1,527

-53.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 €584

$1,355 €1,217

-52.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 €1,229

$2,603 €2,338

-47.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$997 €896

$2,062 €1,853

-51.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,746 €3,365

$6,915 €6,211

-45.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,286 €2,053

$5,128 €4,606

-55.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,911 €1,717

$2,211 €1,986

-13.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.26

3.28

-0.61%

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

Last update for Trieste: 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

Trieste

$650 34.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 109% $705

Groceries & Markets

Trieste

$363 19.2%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 11.3% $41

Eating Out

Trieste

$304 16.1%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 11.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trieste

$258 13.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 11.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Trieste

$175 9.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 9.7% $17

Getting Around

Trieste

$69 3.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 29.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Trieste

$66 3.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 11.2% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $791 in Trieste and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 16% 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: $66 in Trieste vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $363 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Trieste

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

Same time as Trieste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,609

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Trieste Barcelona 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Trieste
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

Trieste vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,885 in Trieste and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Trieste is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Trieste. 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: $791 in Trieste versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $753 in Trieste 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 42% less than in Trieste. 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, Trieste and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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