Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Best

For one person, living is cheaper in Best: $2,198 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Best

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,198 in Best.

Barcelona $2,453
Best $2,198

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,057 in Best.

Barcelona $3,509
Best $3,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,915 in Best.

Barcelona $4,564
Best $3,915

Living in Barcelona is roughly 12% more expensive than in Best, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Best 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.78

$22.20 €19.92

-20.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$85.9 €77.1

-21.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.14

$12.39 €11.12

9.20%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.50 €3.14

-8.86%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.22 €2.89

-9.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.57 €2.31

-26.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.68 €5.10

-29.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.82 €4.33

-6.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.12 €1.00

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.92 €1.72

5.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.14 €1.92

-13.55%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.18 €2.85

51.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.02

$11.09 €9.95

50.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.18

$11.14 €10.00

-18.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.62

$14.90 €13.37

31.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.96 €1.76

52.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.58 €1.42

27.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.72 €1.54

56.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$5.12 €4.60

-45.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.15 €1.03

81.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.17 €1.05

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.05 €0.94

39.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.78 €0.70

20.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$11.25 €10.10

-38.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$5.74 €5.15

37.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.43 €1.28

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.63 €2.36

-3.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.49 €2.23

26.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.83

$72.7 €65.2

-64.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.86 €3.47

-22.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.84 €2.55

-47.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.95

$29.53 €26.49

13.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.41 €2.16

-25.31%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$26.5K €23.8K

25.36%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.7K €34.7K

-18.14%

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

$180 €162

$184 €165

-1.71%

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

$13.84 €12.42

$14.85 €13.33

-6.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.24

$38.38 €34.44

-12.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.22

$40.88 €36.68

26.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.32

$25.29 €22.70

-36.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.87

$13.55 €12.16

-18.89%

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

$917 €823

$1,260 €1,131

-27.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$5,129 €4,602

221.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.1

$51.1 €45.87

70.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.55

$33.16 €29.75

16.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.9

$72.5 €65.0

46.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$57.8 €51.8

107.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,525

$1,534 €1,376

10.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,216

$1,098 €985

23.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,335

$1,990 €1,785

30.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,851

$1,347 €1,209

53.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,205

$5,622 €5,045

22.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,601

$4,407 €3,954

16.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,984

$4,005 €3,593

-44.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.54

-7.34%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Best: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Best

$1.1K 50% 19% $257

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Best

$280 12.8% 12.9% $42

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Best

$318 14.5% 18.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Best

$237 10.8% 3.9% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Best

$97 4.4% 38.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Best

$68 3.1% 7.5% $5.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Best

$101 4.6% 108% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,534 in Best. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Best pays 81% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $86 in Best. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $280, with Best cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Best

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

29,988

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Best 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Best

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 Best: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,198 in Best, so Best is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% 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 $1,534 in Best. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,260 in Best. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Best are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.