Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Aarschot

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarschot: $1,990 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Aarschot
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Aarschot Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Aarschot

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Aarschot

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,990 in Aarschot.

Barcelona $2,381
Aarschot $1,990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,883 in Aarschot.

Barcelona $3,406
Aarschot $2,883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,777 in Aarschot.

Barcelona $4,431
Aarschot $3,777

Living in Barcelona is roughly 20% more expensive than in Aarschot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Aarschot 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$18.17 €16.16

-1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$76.7 €68.2

-13.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.00 €9.78

24.45%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.69 €3.28

-17.07%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.98 €2.65

3.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.61 €2.32

-25.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.33 €4.74

-27.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.57 €4.06

0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.23 €1.09

5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.71 €2.41

-22.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.01 €1.79

-8.96%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.65 €3.24

26.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$11.58 €10.30

49.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$11.65 €10.36

-20.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.94 €13.29

32.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.69 €2.40

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.23 €1.98

-8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.18 €1.94

21.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.24 €1.99

28.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.26 €2.01

-4.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.75 €1.55

22.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.96 €0.85

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$8.89 €7.90

-22.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.42 €6.60

5.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.09 €1.86

-33.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.78 €1.58

47.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.03 €2.69

-3.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$55.7 €49.51

-54.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$5.12 €4.56

-41.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.46 €2.19

-41.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$16.99 €15.11

95.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.97 €1.75

-5.58%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$36.0K €32.0K

-10.04%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$33.4K €29.7K

-5.03%

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

$183 €163

$210 €187

-13.08%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$18.58 €16.53

-26.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$52.4 €46.56

-37.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$36.52 €32.49

49.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$19.21 €17.09

-14.00%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.15 €12.59

-20.64%

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

$954 €849

$697 €620

36.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$16.3K €14.5K

1.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$85.4 €76.0

0.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$26.41 €23.49

48.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$87.5 €77.9

18.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$130 €116

-8.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$928 €826

82.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$826 €735

54.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,379 €1,227

86.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,165 €1,036

65.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,218 €3,752

72.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,844 €2,530

76.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,126 €2,780

-28.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.52

-6.82%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Aarschot: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Aarschot

$826 41.5% 35.3% $450

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Aarschot

$303 15.2% 6.8% $22

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Aarschot

$281 14.1% 4.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Aarschot

$281 14.1% 22.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Aarschot

$148 7.5% 5.2% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Aarschot

$65 3.3% 16% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Aarschot

$85 4.3% 80.1% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $928 in Aarschot. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $77.0 in Aarschot. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $303, with Aarschot cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇪 Aarschot

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

27,656

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Barcelona
Aarschot

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 Aarschot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarschot is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Aarschot. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $928 in Aarschot. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Aarschot – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,990 in Aarschot versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Aarschot but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Aarschot the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aarschot is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Aarschot 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 Aarschot gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.