Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arnhem and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,557 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Arnhem despite lower rent and utilities.

125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,557

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,557 in Arnhem versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Arnhem $2,557
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,743 in Arnhem versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Arnhem $3,743
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,930 in Arnhem versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Arnhem $4,930
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Arnhem is roughly 7% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arnhem 89% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.91 €19.49

$17.94 €15.96

22.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €75.8

$68.1 €60.5

25.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 €13.32

$13.28 €11.81

12.80%

Cappuccino

$4.07 €3.62

$3.25 €2.89

25.23%

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

$3.34 €2.97

$3.01 €2.67

10.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.87 €1.66

51.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$3.85 €3.42

45.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.86

$4.48 €3.98

22.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.29 €1.15

14.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.04 €1.81

-2.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.72 €1.53

33.14%

Eggs

$5.21 €4.64

$4.77 €4.24

9.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 €11.33

$16.77 €14.92

-24.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.14 €12.58

$8.93 €7.94

58.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 €14.03

$19.88 €17.68

-20.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.50

$2.98 €2.65

-5.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.03 €1.80

25.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.73 €2.43

-31.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.79

$2.68 €2.38

101.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.10 €1.87

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.08 €1.85

14.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.45 €1.29

-15.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.89 €0.79

-20.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 €12.65

$6.94 €6.17

105.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.15 €6.36

$7.78 €6.92

-8.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.45 €1.29

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.57 €2.29

2.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.35 €3.87

$2.99 €2.66

45.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 €100

$25.20 €22.41

347.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.56

$3.12 €2.77

28.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.44 €1.28

65.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 €29.23

$33.50 €29.80

-1.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.79 €1.59

33.52%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$34.6K €30.8K

20.78%

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

$39.7K €35.3K

$30.1K €26.7K

32.00%

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

$276 €245

$178 €158

54.97%

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

$22.71 €20.20

$13.32 €11.85

70.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.44 €37.75

$34.88 €31.03

21.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.30 €36.73

$53.3 €47.37

-22.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 €9.78

$16.01 €14.24

-31.36%

Cinema Ticket

$14.38 €12.79

$11.06 €9.84

30.02%

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

$1,259 €1,120

$957 €851

31.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,925 €5,270

$16.6K €14.7K

-64.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.8

$88.2 €78.4

8.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.13 €25.91

$39.49 €35.12

-26.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €94.8

$103 €91.5

3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €136

$121 €108

25.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 €1,278

$1,653 €1,470

-13.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 €1,031

$1,302 €1,158

-10.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,228 €1,982

$2,557 €2,275

-12.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 €1,632

$1,915 €1,703

-4.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 €4,725

$7,286 €6,481

-27.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,175 €3,714

$5,080 €4,519

-17.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,723 €3,312

$2,281 €2,029

63.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.28

20.43%

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

Last update for Arnhem: 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

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 12.3% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arnhem

$341 13.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 33.7% $115

Groceries & Markets

Arnhem

$335 13.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 4.5% $15

Eating Out

Arnhem

$333 13%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 18.9% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Arnhem

$173 6.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 8.2% $14

Getting Around

Arnhem

$146 5.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 67.5% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Arnhem

$70 2.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 7.6% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,436 in Arnhem and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 63% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Arnhem vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

Same time as Arnhem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,770

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

Arnhem Barcelona 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Arnhem
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

Arnhem vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arnhem and Barcelona differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,557 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Arnhem, 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: $1,436 in Arnhem versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Arnhem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $85.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arnhem 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.