Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad and Barcelona

Name: Barcelona
Address: Barcelona, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,976 in Arad, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Arad

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,976

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,976 per month in Arad vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arad $2,976
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Arad vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arad $4,235
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $5,493 per month in Arad vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Arad $5,493
Barcelona $4,421

Arad costs about 24% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arad and Barcelona sit above the global median – Arad by 120%, Barcelona by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.95 ₪80.7

$17.94 €15.96

44.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 ₪286

$68.1 €60.5

35.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.04 ₪62.4

$13.28 €11.81

50.90%

Cappuccino

$4.81 ₪14.97

$3.25 €2.89

48.00%

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

$3.98 ₪12.40

$3.01 €2.67

32.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₪8.31

$1.87 €1.66

42.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.92 ₪30.86

$3.85 €3.42

157.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.27 ₪31.97

$4.48 €3.98

129.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 ₪7.99

$1.29 €1.15

99.22%

White Bread (500g)

$5.61 ₪17.46

$2.04 €1.81

175.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 ₪10.51

$1.72 €1.53

96.51%

Eggs

$4.48 ₪13.95

$4.77 €4.24

-6.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 ₪40.82

$16.77 €14.92

-21.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.23 ₪59.8

$8.93 €7.94

115.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.55 ₪82.6

$19.88 €17.68

33.55%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 ₪19.84

$2.98 €2.65

114.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.20 ₪9.95

$2.03 €1.80

57.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 ₪9.50

$2.73 €2.43

11.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 ₪9.87

$2.68 €2.38

18.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 ₪6.54

$2.10 €1.87

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ₪5.28

$2.08 €1.85

-18.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 ₪7.51

$1.45 €1.29

66.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₪7.95

$0.89 €0.79

187.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.96 ₪31.00

$6.94 €6.17

43.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 ₪41.12

$7.78 €6.92

69.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 ₪14.58

$1.45 €1.29

223.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 ₪13.14

$2.57 €2.29

64.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 ₪9.29

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.4 ₪272

$25.20 €22.41

246.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.24 ₪25.65

$3.12 €2.77

164.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ₪3.59

$1.44 €1.28

-20.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.86 ₪89.8

$33.50 €29.80

-13.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.63 ₪8.17

$1.79 €1.59

46.93%

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

$58.2K ₪181.2K

$34.6K €30.8K

68.13%

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

$58.7K ₪182.8K

$30.1K €26.7K

95.36%

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

$336 ₪1,046

$178 €158

89.10%

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

$12.37 ₪38.47

$13.32 €11.85

-7.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.51 ₪154

$34.88 €31.03

41.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.7 ₪264

$53.3 €47.37

59.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$16.53 ₪51.4

$11.06 €9.84

49.46%

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

$1,643 ₪5,112

$957 €851

71.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K ₪93.5K

$16.6K €14.7K

81.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₪319

$88.2 €78.4

16.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 ₪200

$39.49 €35.12

62.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$176 ₪548

$103 €91.5

71.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 ₪487

$121 €108

28.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 ₪5,222

$1,653 €1,470

1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 ₪3,683

$1,302 €1,158

-9.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 ₪7,846

$2,557 €2,275

-1.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 ₪5,053

$1,915 €1,703

-15.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K ₪33.6K

$7,286 €6,481

48.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,515 ₪26.5K

$5,080 €4,519

67.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,569 ₪7,992

$2,281 €2,029

12.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.2

3.28

58.54%

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

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arad

$1.2K 39.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 10% $118

Groceries & Markets

Arad

$516 17.3%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 37.9% $196

Eating Out

Arad

$422 14.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 36% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arad

$398 13.4%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 43.2% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Arad

$225 7.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 29.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Arad

$118 4%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 36% $42

Getting Around

Arad

$113 3.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 58.1% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,678 in Arad 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 13% higher in Arad, 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 $92.0 in Arad versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $516 vs $320 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Arad

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

12:47 12:47 PM

1 h behind Arad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,530

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arad Barcelona 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arad
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

Arad vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arad costs about 24% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,464 per month in Arad 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,976 in Arad and $2,399 in Barcelona. That's a gap of about 24%.

Public transport costs about 247% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,976 in Arad and $2,399 in Barcelona. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Barcelona costs $2,399 versus $2,976 in Arad. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Arad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.