Cost of Living · FR vs ES
🇫🇷 Paris vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,761 in France vs $1,382 in Spain — 21.53% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -24.14%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -24.14%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -24.14%
Closest to France prices
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -7.59%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -7.6%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -7.61%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | France | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,227 | $931 (860 EUR) | -24.14% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $982 | $745 (688 EUR) | -24.14% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,244 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | -24.14% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $13.62 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | -19.53% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $56.74 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | -19.51% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $8.54 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | -17.92% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.90 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | -14.44% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.61 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | -14.56% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.78 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | -14.75% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.16 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | -14.58% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.27 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | -14.68% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.92 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | -14.54% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $9.80 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | -14.59% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.63 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | -14.72% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $4.54 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | -19.6% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.23 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | -7.61% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.78 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | -19.58% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.88 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | -14.89% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $50.44 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | -17.9% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.13 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | -17.84% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.03 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | -19.47% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.36 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | -19.12% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.86 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | -8.14% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $155 | $127 (118 EUR) | -17.91% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $54.32 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | -17.91% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $34.92 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | -17.9% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $37.83 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | -19.51% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $10.59 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | -19.55% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $22.70 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | -19.52% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $49.69 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | -7.59% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $81.32 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | -7.6% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $189 | $152 (141 EUR) | -19.51% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Spain than France?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $1,761 in France — 21.53% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $4.54 in France.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to France?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $1,227/month in France (-24.14%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.