Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arlon

For one person, living is cheaper in Arlon: $2,033 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Arlon
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Arlon Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Arlon

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arlon

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

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $2,033 in Arlon, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Arlon $2,033

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $3,132 in Arlon, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Arlon $3,132

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $4,232 in Arlon, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Arlon $4,232

Barcelona costs about 21% more than Arlon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Barcelona and Arlon sit above the global median – Barcelona by 80%, Arlon by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$17.02 €15.25

3.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$91.1 €81.6

-25.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.21 €10.04

20.70%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.86 €2.56

11.54%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.68 €2.40

8.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.58 €2.31

-26.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.41 €3.05

17.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.39 €3.93

3.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.19 €1.06

10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.54 €1.38

31.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.36 €2.12

-21.61%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.77 €3.38

28.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$14.58 €13.06

14.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.54 €10.34

-20.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$15.33 €13.73

28.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.05 €2.74

-2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.09 €0.98

85.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.18 €1.95

23.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.05 €2.73

-8.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.67 €1.50

25.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.08 €1.87

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.71 €1.53

-14.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.11 €0.99

-15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$8.99 €8.06

-23.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.92 €7.10

-0.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.01 €1.80

-29.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.10 €0.98

130.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.24 €2.00

40.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$41.07 €36.80

-38.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.95 €3.54

-24.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.61 €2.34

-42.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$16.95 €15.19

96.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.99 €1.78

-9.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.5K €31.8K

-6.56%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$36.6K €32.8K

-13.43%

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

$180 €162

$263 €236

-31.38%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$24.91 €22.32

-44.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$52.8 €47.31

-36.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$24.29 €21.77

-34.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.08 €8.13

21.04%

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

$917 €821

$851 €763

7.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$85.4 €76.6

1.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$50.5 €45.27

-23.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$49.54 €44.39

113.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$111 €99.1

8.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$897 €804

89.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$921 €825

47.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,681 €1,506

54.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,701 €1,524

21.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,215 €3,777

64.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,897 €3,492

31.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,868 €2,570

-22.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.65

-10.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arlon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Arlon

$921 45.3% 32.1% $435

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Arlon

$302 14.9% 6% $19

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Arlon

$251 12.4% 6.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Arlon

$341 16.8% 49.4% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Arlon

$133 6.6% 15.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Arlon

$18 * 0.9% 75.3% $55

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Arlon

$67 3.3% 38.3% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $897 in Arlon. 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 30% higher in Arlon, 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 $91 in Arlon. Groceries tell a different story – $322 in Barcelona vs $302 in Arlon – so Arlon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇪 Arlon

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

28,759

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Arlon 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arlon

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 Arlon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona costs about 21% more than Arlon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $3,050 in Arlon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arlon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $897 there versus $1,699 in Barcelona.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,033 in Arlon. That makes Arlon about 17% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Barcelona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,033 in Arlon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Arlon – 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.