Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arad, Israel

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,955 in Arad, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. The total is higher in Arad despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Arad
Learn more

Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Arad

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,955

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arad

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

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $2,955 in Arad, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Arad $2,955

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $4,248 in Arad, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Arad $4,248

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $5,541 in Arad, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Arad $5,541

Barcelona is about 17% cheaper than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barcelona and Arad sit above the global median – Barcelona by 80%, Arad by 117%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$25.90 ₪81.3

-32.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$90.6 ₪284

-25.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$20.62 ₪64.7

-34.38%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.75 ₪14.89

-32.84%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.85 ₪12.07

-24.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.75 ₪8.62

-31.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$9.75 ₪30.59

-58.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$9.89 ₪31.03

-54.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.56 ₪8.03

-48.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$5.70 ₪17.90

-64.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.42 ₪10.73

-45.91%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.44 ₪13.94

8.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$13.23 ₪41.51

26.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$19.30 ₪60.6

-52.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$26.36 ₪82.7

-25.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$6.52 ₪20.45

-54.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.25 ₪10.20

-37.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.97 ₪9.33

-9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.19 ₪10.01

-12.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.06 ₪6.45

1.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.70 ₪5.32

21.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.30 ₪7.22

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.51 ₪7.87

-62.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$9.95 ₪31.21

-30.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$13.07 ₪41.01

-39.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$4.77 ₪14.95

-70.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.21 ₪13.20

-39.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.50 ₪7.84

25.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$107 ₪337

-76.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.29 ₪26.01

-63.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.26 ₪3.96

18.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$29.17 ₪91.5

14.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.60 ₪8.15

-30.77%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$54.5K ₪171.2K

-39.15%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$52.9K ₪166.0K

-40.08%

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

$180 €162

$337 ₪1,058

-46.50%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$12.20 ₪38.27

13.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$48.05 ₪151

-29.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$90.1 ₪283

-42.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.90 ₪49.89

-30.88%

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

$917 €821

$1,612 ₪5,057

-43.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$27.7K ₪87.0K

-40.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$103 ₪322

-15.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$65.7 ₪206

-41.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$172 ₪540

-38.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$159 ₪497

-24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,764 ₪5,537

-3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,142 ₪3,582

18.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,154 ₪6,759

20.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,638 ₪5,140

25.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$10.8K ₪33.9K

-35.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$8,347 ₪26.2K

-38.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$2,605 ₪8,175

-15.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.2

-36.92%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Arad

$1.1K 38.6% 15.8% $214

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Arad

$517 17.5% 60.5% $195

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Arad

$421 14.2% 57.1% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Arad

$397 13.5% 74.4% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Arad

$225 7.6% 42.1% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Arad

$122 4.1% 65.9% $48

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Arad

$132 4.5% 172% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,764 in Arad. 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 18% 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 $67 in Barcelona versus $91 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $517 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇱 Arad

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

22:46 10:46 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

25,530

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 ILS = 0.319 USD

1 ILS = 0.285 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.14 ILS (1 ILS = 0.319 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.285 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Barcelona
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arad costs about 20% 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 $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $4,432 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,764 in Arad. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,955 in Arad. That makes Barcelona about 17% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Barcelona – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Barcelona. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.