Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Arnhem

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,551 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Arnhem despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
Learn more

Arnhem Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Arnhem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,551 in Arnhem.

Barcelona $2,453
Arnhem $2,551

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,747 in Arnhem.

Barcelona $3,509
Arnhem $3,747

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,942 in Arnhem.

Barcelona $4,564
Arnhem $4,942

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 4% less than in Arnhem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Arnhem 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$22.10 €19.79

-20.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$86.7 €77.7

-22.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$14.26 €12.77

-5.12%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.16 €3.73

-23.32%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.34 €2.99

-12.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.92 €2.61

-35.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.68 €5.09

-29.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.74 €5.14

-21.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.41 €1.26

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.08 €1.87

-2.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.35 €2.11

-21.28%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.08 €4.55

-4.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$13.30 €11.91

25.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.64 €12.22

-33.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$16.31 €14.60

20.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.81 €2.52

6.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.51 €2.25

-19.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.88 €1.69

43.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.98 €4.46

-43.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.88 €1.69

11.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.24 €2.00

-7.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.28 €1.14

14.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.81 €0.73

16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$14.16 €12.69

-51.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$7.16 €6.41

10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.48 €1.33

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.62 €2.34

-3.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.38 €3.92

-28.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$112 €100

-77.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.07 €3.64

-26.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.30 €2.06

-35.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$32.30 €28.93

3.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.40 €2.15

-25.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$42.1K €37.7K

-21.14%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.9K €34.8K

-18.48%

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

$180 €162

$285 €255

-36.69%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$22.84 €20.45

-39.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$41.31 €37.00

-18.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$40.86 €36.60

26.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$11.21 €10.04

42.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$14.57 €13.05

-24.57%

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

$917 €821

$3,015 €2,700

-69.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$5,950 €5,329

176.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$97.0 €86.9

-10.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$28.48 €25.51

35.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$107 €95.9

-1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$157 €141

-23.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,412 €1,264

20.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,142 €1,023

18.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,195 €1,965

18.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,825 €1,635

12.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$5,206 €4,662

32.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$4,142 €3,710

23.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,624 €3,246

-39.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.95

-16.96%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arnhem: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Arnhem

$1.1K 44.8% 15.7% $213

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Arnhem

$335 13.1% 4.2% $13

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Arnhem

$334 13.1% 24.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Arnhem

$349 13.7% 53.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Arnhem

$175 6.9% 11% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Arnhem

$70 2.7% 4.8% $3.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Arnhem

$145 5.7% 199% $96

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,412 in Arnhem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 64% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $87 in Arnhem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $335 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

165,770

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Arnhem 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Arnhem

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 Arnhem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,551 in Arnhem, so Barcelona is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,412 in Arnhem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Arnhem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $87 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Arnhem are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Arnhem on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.