Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Barcelona

Name: Barcelona
Address: Barcelona, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,465 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,465

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,465 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,465
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $4,929 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Amsterdam $4,929
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $6,393 per month in Amsterdam vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,393
Barcelona $4,421

Amsterdam costs about 44% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Amsterdam and Barcelona sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 157%, Barcelona by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.66

$17.94 €15.96

23.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 €80.0

$68.1 €60.5

32.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.32 €13.63

$13.28 €11.81

15.36%

Cappuccino

$4.58 €4.07

$3.25 €2.89

40.92%

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

$3.70 €3.29

$3.01 €2.67

22.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.87 €1.66

59.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 €6.56

$3.85 €3.42

91.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$4.48 €3.98

27.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.29 €1.15

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.04 €1.81

12.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.72 €1.53

45.93%

Eggs

$5.07 €4.51

$4.77 €4.24

6.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.73 €14.88

$16.77 €14.92

-0.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 €11.66

$8.93 €7.94

46.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 €20.28

$19.88 €17.68

14.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.98 €2.65

-8.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.03 €1.80

35.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.73 €2.43

0.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.37

$2.68 €2.38

41.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.10 €1.87

13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.08 €1.85

-22.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.45 €1.29

0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.89 €0.79

98.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €12.92

$6.94 €6.17

109.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 €8.09

$7.78 €6.92

16.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.45 €1.29

23.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.57 €2.29

-5.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 €3.29

$2.99 €2.66

23.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 €100

$25.20 €22.41

346.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.01

$3.12 €2.77

44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.44 €1.28

138.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 €35.32

$33.50 €29.80

18.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.79 €1.59

46.93%

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

$41.3K €36.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

19.28%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$30.1K €26.7K

31.08%

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

$295 €262

$178 €158

65.76%

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

$22.26 €19.80

$13.32 €11.85

67.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 €45.46

$34.88 €31.03

46.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.3

$53.3 €47.37

12.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 €31.52

$16.01 €14.24

121.36%

Cinema Ticket

$16.82 €14.96

$11.06 €9.84

52.08%

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

$2,826 €2,513

$957 €851

195.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.2K

$16.6K €14.7K

3.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 €82.3

$88.2 €78.4

4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.61 €37.01

$39.49 €35.12

5.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.6 €86.9

$103 €91.5

-5.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$121 €108

8.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,575 €2,290

$1,653 €1,470

55.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,955 €1,739

$1,302 €1,158

50.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,997 €3,555

$2,557 €2,275

56.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,053 €2,716

$1,915 €1,703

59.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.4K €9,222

$7,286 €6,481

42.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,494 €5,776

$5,080 €4,519

27.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,692 €4,174

$2,281 €2,029

105.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

3.28

-0.30%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amsterdam

$2K 56.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 33.4% $653

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$383 11%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 16.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$368 10.6%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 38.6% $142

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$353 10.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 23.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$164 4.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 3.2% $5.3

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$149 4.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 68.1% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$94 2.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 19.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,575 in Amsterdam versus $1,653 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 106% higher in Amsterdam, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Amsterdam versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $320 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

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

Amsterdam Barcelona 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
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

Amsterdam vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Amsterdam and $3,599 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barcelona, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 346% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,826 per month in Amsterdam and $957 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,465 in Amsterdam and $2,399 in Barcelona. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barcelona. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amsterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.