Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarschot and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarschot: $1,990 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Aarschot
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Aarschot Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Aarschot

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,990

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,990 in Aarschot versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Aarschot $1,990
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,883 in Aarschot versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Aarschot $2,883
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,777 in Aarschot versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Aarschot $3,777
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Aarschot costs roughly 16% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aarschot 47% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.16

$17.89 €15.92

1.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$66.2 €58.9

15.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$13.69 €12.18

-19.65%

Cappuccino

$3.69 €3.28

$3.06 €2.72

20.59%

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

$2.98 €2.65

$3.07 €2.73

-2.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.94 €1.73

34.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 €4.74

$3.87 €3.44

37.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.06

$4.61 €4.10

-0.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.30 €1.16

-5.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.10 €1.87

29.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.83 €1.62

9.84%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.24

$4.62 €4.11

-21.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.58 €10.30

$17.36 €15.44

-33.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 €10.36

$9.28 €8.25

25.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.94 €13.29

$19.83 €17.64

-24.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.01 €2.68

-10.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.03 €1.81

9.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.65 €2.36

-17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.87 €2.55

-21.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.16 €1.92

4.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.15 €1.91

-18.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.85

$0.88 €0.79

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 €7.90

$6.93 €6.16

28.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.60

$7.83 €6.96

-5.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.39 €1.24

50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.63 €2.34

-32.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.69

$2.91 €2.59

4.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.7 €49.51

$25.46 €22.64

118.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 €4.56

$3.00 €2.66

70.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.44 €1.28

70.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.99 €15.11

$33.20 €29.53

-48.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.86 €1.65

5.91%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

11.16%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$31.7K €28.2K

5.29%

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

$210 €187

$183 €163

15.05%

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

$18.58 €16.53

$13.61 €12.11

36.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 €46.56

$32.93 €29.29

58.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.52 €32.49

$54.7 €48.65

-33.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.21 €17.09

$16.52 €14.70

16.28%

Cinema Ticket

$14.15 €12.59

$11.23 €9.99

26.00%

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

$697 €620

$954 €849

-26.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K €14.5K

$16.6K €14.8K

-1.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €76.0

$86.0 €76.5

-0.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.41 €23.49

$39.11 €34.78

-32.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 €77.9

$104 €92.2

-15.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$119 €106

9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$928 €826

$1,695 €1,508

-45.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 €735

$1,276 €1,135

-35.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 €1,227

$2,576 €2,291

-46.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 €1,036

$1,922 €1,710

-39.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,218 €3,752

$7,281 €6,477

-42.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,844 €2,530

$5,010 €4,456

-43.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,126 €2,780

$2,227 €1,981

40.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.28

7.32%

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

Last update for Aarschot: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aarschot

$826 41.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 54.4% $450

Groceries & Markets

Aarschot

$303 15.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 7.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aarschot

$281 14.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 18.5% $52

Eating Out

Aarschot

$281 14.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Aarschot

$148 7.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 5.5% $8.1

Getting Around

Aarschot

$85 4.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 44.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Aarschot

$65 3.3%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 19% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $928 in Aarschot and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $77.0 in Aarschot vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $325, with Aarschot cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Aarschot

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

Same time as Aarschot

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,656

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

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Aarschot
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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

Aarschot vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarschot is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Aarschot, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $928 in Aarschot versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Aarschot – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,990 in Aarschot versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Aarschot but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Aarschot the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aarschot is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Aarschot and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aarschot gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.