Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Valletta: $2,243 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
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Valletta Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,243

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,243 in Valletta versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Valletta $2,243
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,657 in Valletta versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Valletta $3,657
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,071 in Valletta versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Valletta $5,071
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Valletta costs roughly 9% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 65% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 €20.23

$17.59 €15.80

28.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 €81.9

$67.5 €60.6

35.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €12.01

$13.53 €12.15

-1.18%

Cappuccino

$3.08 €2.77

$3.19 €2.87

-3.45%

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

$2.35 €2.11

$2.91 €2.62

-19.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.89 €1.70

6.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.09

$4.01 €3.60

41.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 €6.18

$4.53 €4.07

51.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.31 €1.17

4.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.27

$2.02 €1.81

-30.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.11

$1.85 €1.66

87.57%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$4.83 €4.34

-12.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 €9.34

$16.74 €15.03

-37.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.96

$9.12 €8.19

33.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €16.15

$19.64 €17.64

-8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.88 €3.48

$2.98 €2.68

30.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.02 €1.81

36.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 €3.51

$2.70 €2.43

44.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 €3.36

$2.80 €2.52

33.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.71

$2.09 €1.87

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 €2.99

$2.07 €1.86

60.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.46 €1.31

55.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.94 €0.84

58.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.59

$6.87 €6.17

-9.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 €5.47

$7.89 €7.08

-22.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.22

$1.41 €1.26

75.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.54 €2.28

-7.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.99

$3.14 €2.82

-29.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.58

$2.99 €2.69

33.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.49 €1.34

16.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.29 €29.01

$33.37 €29.98

-3.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.80 €1.61

-17.22%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$33.2K €29.8K

-15.99%

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

$39.0K €35.0K

$31.7K €28.5K

22.93%

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

$156 €140

$180 €162

-13.51%

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

$31.08 €27.92

$13.84 €12.43

124.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.31 €26.33

$33.70 €30.27

-13.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 €55.4

$51.5 €46.27

19.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 €18.54

$15.96 €14.34

29.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €10.04

$10.99 €9.88

1.73%

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

$275 €247

$917 €823

-70.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$16.5K €14.8K

-25.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 €51.6

$87.0 €78.2

-34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.2 €61.2

$38.51 €34.59

76.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.7

$106 €95.1

4.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$120 €108

6.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,248

$1,699 €1,527

-18.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €985

$1,355 €1,217

-19.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 €3,046

$2,603 €2,338

30.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,312 €2,077

$2,062 €1,853

12.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,400 €4,851

$6,915 €6,211

-21.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,943 €3,542

$5,128 €4,606

-23.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,031 €1,824

$2,211 €1,986

-8.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

3.28

23.48%

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

Last update for Valletta: 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

Valletta

$1.1K 48.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 23.6% $259

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$344 15.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 6.3% $22

Eating Out

Valletta

$317 14.1%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 15.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$216 9.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 5.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$164 7.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 3.7% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$84 3.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 12.6% $11

Getting Around

Valletta

$22 * 1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 125% $27

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 $1,389 in Valletta and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 9% 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: $91 in Valletta vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

Same time as Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

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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Highest

Between locations

Valletta Barcelona 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Valletta
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

Valletta vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,243 in Valletta and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Valletta is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Valletta. 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: $1,389 in Valletta versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $275 in Valletta versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $91 in Valletta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Valletta is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Valletta and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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