Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Aachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,938 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Aachen

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 Aachen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $1,938 in Aachen, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Aachen $1,938

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $2,902 in Aachen, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Aachen $2,902

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $3,867 in Aachen, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Aachen $3,867

Barcelona costs about 27% more than Aachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Barcelona and Aachen sit above the global median – Barcelona by 80%, Aachen by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$15.79 €14.19

11.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$61.7 €55.5

9.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$11.16 €10.02

21.24%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.73 €3.35

-14.48%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.70 €2.43

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.99 €2.69

-36.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.05 €4.54

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.47 €4.91

-17.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.22 €1.10

7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.92 €1.73

5.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.62 €3.25

-48.90%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.57 €3.20

35.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$14.48 €13.01

15.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$11.33 €10.18

-19.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$20.98 €18.85

-6.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.42 €3.07

-12.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.27 €2.04

-11.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.05 €1.84

31.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.48 €3.12

-19.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.47 €1.32

42.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.48 €1.33

39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.48 €1.33

-1.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.24 €1.11

-24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$10.00 €8.98

-31.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$6.76 €6.07

16.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.15 €1.03

22.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.56 €1.40

62.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.03 €3.62

-22.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$71.5 €64.2

-64.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$5.53 €4.96

-45.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.59 €2.32

-42.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$37.36 €33.56

-10.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.32 €2.08

-22.41%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$33.0K €29.7K

0.45%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$38.9K €35.0K

-18.61%

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

$180 €162

$378 €339

-52.21%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$16.71 €15.01

-17.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$47.56 €42.73

-29.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$35.89 €32.24

43.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$27.56 €24.76

-42.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$15.41 €13.84

-28.68%

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

$917 €823

$743 €667

23.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$19.2K €17.3K

-14.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$91.4 €82.1

-4.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$42.26 €37.96

-8.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$85.1 €76.4

24.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$134 €120

-10.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$818 €735

107.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$571 €513

137.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,504 €1,351

73.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,058 €951

94.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$4,493 €4,036

53.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$3,378 €3,035

51.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$3,534 €3,175

-37.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.96

-17.17%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aachen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Aachen

$571 29.5% 57.9% $784

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Aachen

$330 17% 2.6% $8.3

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Aachen

$264 13.6% 1.6% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Aachen

$442 22.8% 93.8% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Aachen

$159 8.2% 0.5% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Aachen

$67 3.4% 9.3% $6.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Aachen

$106 5.5% 119% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $818 in Aachen. 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 60% higher in Aachen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $62 in Aachen. Groceries tell a different story – $322 in Barcelona vs $330 in Aachen – so Barcelona wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Aachen

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

241,683

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Barcelona
Aachen

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 Aachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona, $1,938 in Aachen – Aachen comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $2,907 in Aachen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aachen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $818 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona and $62 in Aachen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,938 in Aachen. That makes Aachen about 21% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,938 in Aachen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.