Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $789 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$789

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in Barcelona versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Barcelona $789
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,300 in Barcelona versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Barcelona $1,300
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,811 in Barcelona versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Barcelona $1,811
Budapest $3,429

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 51% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 42% below, Budapest is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.88 VES 8,673

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-29.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.71 VES 27.8K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-48.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 VES 8,702

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-2.75%

Cappuccino

$2.35 VES 2,059

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-27.91%

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

$1.02 VES 897

$2.14 Ft 690

-52.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 VES 598

$1.78 Ft 577

-61.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 VES 903

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-72.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 VES 1,726

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-47.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 VES 1,803

$1.15 Ft 371

78.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 VES 1,795

$1.79 Ft 578

14.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 VES 1,507

$2.49 Ft 804

-30.92%

Eggs

$3.89 VES 3,411

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-0.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.49 VES 4,818

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-50.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 VES 6,055

$6.62 Ft 2,139

4.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 VES 6,666

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-48.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 VES 3,036

$1.83 Ft 591

89.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 VES 1,508

$2.05 Ft 661

-16.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 VES 1,372

$2.37 Ft 765

-34.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 VES 1,894

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-44.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 VES 1,308

$0.99 Ft 320

50.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 VES 1,278

$1.00 Ft 322

46.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 VES 1,514

$1.58 Ft 511

8.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 VES 1,796

$0.67 Ft 216

205.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 VES 2,951

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-57.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 VES 9,562

$6.22 Ft 2,009

75.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 VES 630

$1.27 Ft 411

-43.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 VES 1,768

$2.03 Ft 654

-0.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 VES 151

$1.52 Ft 490

-88.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.32 VES 10.8K

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-56.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 VES 6,482

$3.31 Ft 1,070

122.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 VES 943

$1.37 Ft 442

-21.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.95 VES 13.1K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-24.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 VES 420

$1.82 Ft 589

-73.63%

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

$22.4K VES 19.6M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-24.96%

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

$40.3K VES 35.4M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

19.20%

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

$50.4 VES 44.2K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-70.56%

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

$14.90 VES 13.1K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-36.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.70 VES 34.9K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

70.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.88 VES 26.2K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-55.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.14 VES 13.3K

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-19.85%

Cinema Ticket

$3.88 VES 3,409

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-58.28%

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

$65.2 VES 57.2K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-87.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 VES 52.9K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-39.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 VES 37.7K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-1.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.6 VES 56.7K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-41.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 VES 53.2K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-49.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 VES 175.1K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-75.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 VES 101.2K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-81.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 VES 324.8K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-76.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 VES 244.1K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-76.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$411 VES 361.1K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-92.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$240 VES 210.8K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-93.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$264 VES 232.1K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-83.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.12

6.45

258.45%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$250 31.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 3.2% $7.9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$153 19.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 45.9% $70

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$115 14.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 439% $507

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$105 13.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 108% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$103 13%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 63.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$38 4.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 129% $48

Getting Around

Barcelona

$26 3.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 71.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $199 in Barcelona and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 525% 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: $32.00 in Barcelona vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $258 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Barcelona

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

02:04 2:04 AM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

560,122

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Budapest 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Budapest

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

Barcelona vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Budapest. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 525% lower in Budapest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $199 in Barcelona versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $789 per month in Barcelona versus $1,619 in Budapest – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $789 in Barcelona versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Barcelona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $789 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Barcelona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Budapest 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 105% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.