Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aachen and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,938 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,938

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in Aachen vs $2,453 in Barcelona, rent included.

Aachen $1,938
Barcelona $2,453

A couple spends around $2,902 per month in Aachen vs $3,509 in Barcelona, rent included.

Aachen $2,902
Barcelona $3,509

A family of three spends $3,867 per month in Aachen vs $4,564 in Barcelona, rent included.

Aachen $3,867
Barcelona $4,564

Aachen is about 21% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Aachen and Barcelona sit above the global median – Aachen by 42%, Barcelona by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.79 €14.19

$17.59 €15.80

-10.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$67.5 €60.6

-8.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 €10.02

$13.53 €12.15

-17.52%

Cappuccino

$3.73 €3.35

$3.19 €2.87

16.93%

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

$2.70 €2.43

$2.91 €2.62

-7.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.89 €1.70

58.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 €4.54

$4.01 €3.60

25.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.91

$4.53 €4.07

20.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.31 €1.17

-6.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.73

$2.02 €1.81

-4.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 €3.25

$1.85 €1.66

95.68%

Eggs

$3.57 €3.20

$4.83 €4.34

-26.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.48 €13.01

$16.74 €15.03

-13.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 €10.18

$9.12 €8.19

24.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.98 €18.85

$19.64 €17.64

6.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 €3.07

$2.98 €2.68

14.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.02 €1.81

12.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.70 €2.43

-24.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 €3.12

$2.80 €2.52

24.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.09 €1.87

-29.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.07 €1.86

-28.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.46 €1.31

1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.94 €0.84

31.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 €8.98

$6.87 €6.17

45.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.07

$7.89 €7.08

-14.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.41 €1.26

-18.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.54 €2.28

-38.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.03 €3.62

$3.14 €2.82

28.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €64.2

$25.45 €22.86

180.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.96

$2.99 €2.69

84.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.49 €1.34

73.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.36 €33.56

$33.37 €29.98

11.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.80 €1.61

28.89%

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

$33.0K €29.7K

$33.2K €29.8K

-0.45%

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

$38.9K €35.0K

$31.7K €28.5K

22.87%

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

$378 €339

$180 €162

109.27%

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

$16.71 €15.01

$13.84 €12.43

20.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.56 €42.73

$33.70 €30.27

41.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.89 €32.24

$51.5 €46.27

-30.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.76

$15.96 €14.34

72.68%

Cinema Ticket

$15.41 €13.84

$10.99 €9.88

40.22%

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

$743 €667

$917 €823

-18.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K €17.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

16.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €82.1

$87.0 €78.2

5.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.26 €37.96

$38.51 €34.59

9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €76.4

$106 €95.1

-19.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$120 €108

12.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 €735

$1,699 €1,527

-51.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 €513

$1,355 €1,217

-57.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 €1,351

$2,603 €2,338

-42.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 €951

$2,062 €1,853

-48.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,493 €4,036

$6,915 €6,211

-35.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,378 €3,035

$5,128 €4,606

-34.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,534 €3,175

$2,211 €1,986

59.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.28

20.73%

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

Last update for Aachen: 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

Aachen

$571 29.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 137% $784

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aachen

$442 22.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 48.4% $214

Groceries & Markets

Aachen

$330 17%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 2.5% $8.3

Eating Out

Aachen

$264 13.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 1.7% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Aachen

$159 8.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 0.5% $0.8

Getting Around

Aachen

$106 5.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 54.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Aachen

$67 3.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10.2% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $818 in Aachen versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 60% higher in Aachen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Aachen versus $67 in Barcelona. Groceries tell a different story – $330 in Aachen vs $322 in Barcelona – so Barcelona wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aachen

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

Same time as Aachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,683

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

Aachen Barcelona 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aachen
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

Aachen vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,938 in Aachen, $2,453 in Barcelona – Aachen comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in Aachen and $3,679 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aachen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $818 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Aachen and $67 in Barcelona. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,938 in Aachen and $2,453 in Barcelona. That makes Aachen about 21% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,938 in Aachen and $2,453 in Barcelona, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Aachen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.