Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zabbar and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabbar: $1,820 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Zabbar
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Zabbar Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Zabbar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,820

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,820 in Zabbar versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Zabbar $1,820
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,669 in Zabbar versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Zabbar $2,669
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,517 in Zabbar versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Zabbar $3,517
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Zabbar costs roughly 26% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zabbar 34% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.10

$17.59 €15.69

-3.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.62 €34.46

$67.5 €60.2

-42.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.71 €6.88

$13.53 €12.07

-43.02%

Cappuccino

$2.68 €2.39

$3.19 €2.85

-15.99%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.91 €2.60

-21.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.89 €1.69

-65.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 €1.98

$4.01 €3.58

-44.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.94

$4.53 €4.04

-2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.31 €1.16

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 €0.51

$2.02 €1.80

-71.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.85 €1.65

-41.08%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.56

$4.83 €4.31

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.50 €4.91

$16.74 €14.93

-67.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 €3.96

$9.12 €8.14

-51.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 €9.07

$19.64 €17.52

-48.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 €3.71

$2.98 €2.66

39.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.02 €1.80

39.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 €3.25

$2.70 €2.41

35.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.01

$2.80 €2.50

20.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.09 €1.86

10.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.07 €1.85

-10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.46 €1.30

55.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.94 €0.84

22.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$6.87 €6.13

-4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.93 €7.08

$7.89 €7.04

0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.41 €1.25

14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.09

$2.54 €2.26

-7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 €2.25

$3.14 €2.80

-19.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.80 €14.99

$25.45 €22.70

-33.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.80 €4.28

$2.99 €2.67

60.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.49 €1.33

51.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.39 €23.54

$33.37 €29.78

-20.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.80 €1.60

-17.22%

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

$38.1K €34.0K

$33.2K €29.6K

14.90%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$31.7K €28.3K

20.63%

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

$104 €93.0

$180 €161

-42.25%

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

$24.98 €22.29

$13.84 €12.35

80.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.67 €38.96

$33.70 €30.06

29.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 €57.9

$51.5 €45.96

26.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 €10.12

$15.96 €14.24

-28.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 €9.12

$10.99 €9.81

-7.01%

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

$373 €333

$917 €818

-59.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,245 €2,003

$16.5K €14.7K

-86.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 €78.6

$87.0 €77.7

1.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.17 €36.73

$38.51 €34.35

6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 €88.1

$106 €94.4

-6.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 €69.8

$120 €107

-34.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 €1,023

$1,699 €1,516

-32.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 €822

$1,355 €1,209

-32.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 €1,602

$2,603 €2,322

-31.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 €1,363

$2,062 €1,840

-25.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,048 €3,611

$6,915 €6,169

-41.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,152 €3,705

$5,128 €4,575

-19.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,095 €977

$2,211 €1,972

-50.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

3.28

-11.59%

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

Last update for Zabbar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zabbar

$921 50.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 47.1% $434

Groceries & Markets

Zabbar

$238 13.1%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 35.5% $84

Eating Out

Zabbar

$222 12.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 20.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zabbar

$173 9.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 31.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Zabbar

$138 7.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 14.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Zabbar

$85 4.7%

Barcelona

$74 3% 13.9% $12

Getting Around

Zabbar

$43 2.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 12.7% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,147 in Zabbar and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $39 in Zabbar vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $322 per month, with Zabbar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Zabbar

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

Same time as Zabbar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,404

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zabbar Barcelona 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zabbar
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

Zabbar vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,820 in Zabbar and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Zabbar is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Zabbar. 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: $1,147 in Zabbar versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $373 in Zabbar versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Zabbar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Expats usually find Zabbar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.