Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Braunschweig

For one person, living is cheaper in Braunschweig: $1,738 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Braunschweig
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Braunschweig Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Braunschweig

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Braunschweig

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,738 in Braunschweig.

Barcelona $2,443
Braunschweig $1,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,809 in Braunschweig.

Barcelona $3,519
Braunschweig $2,809

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,879 in Braunschweig.

Barcelona $4,595
Braunschweig $3,879

Living in Barcelona is roughly 41% more expensive than in Braunschweig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Braunschweig 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$16.73 €14.93

5.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$79.0 €70.5

-14.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$11.11 €9.91

22.50%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$4.15 €3.70

-25.30%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$3.35 €2.99

-10.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.77 €2.47

-30.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$4.52 €4.03

-15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$3.74 €3.34

16.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.26 €1.12

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.33 €2.07

-9.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$4.44 €3.96

-55.63%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$4.11 €3.66

15.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$14.29 €12.74

19.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$10.30 €9.19

-13.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$25.44 €22.70

-18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$3.38 €3.02

-6.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.14 €1.91

-7.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.90 €1.70

39.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$3.81 €3.40

-24.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.20 €1.07

71.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.32 €1.18

65.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.40 €1.25

9.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.88 €0.78

10.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$9.80 €8.74

-28.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$6.24 €5.56

26.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.16 €1.03

22.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.57 €1.40

71.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$3.82 €3.41

-13.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

$69.3 €61.8

-63.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$5.51 €4.92

-44.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.80 €2.50

-47.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$31.30 €27.92

5.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.15 €1.92

-13.02%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$32.9K €29.3K

0.20%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$39.0K €34.8K

-18.15%

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

$183 €163

$196 €175

-6.78%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$29.45 €26.27

-51.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$51.1 €45.54

-32.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

$39.47 €35.21

30.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

$13.52 €12.06

21.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$13.45 €12.00

-17.77%

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

$944 €842

$390 €348

141.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$14.0K €12.5K

58.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$82.4 €73.5

6.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$38.46 €34.30

0.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$99.5 €88.7

5.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$121 €108

-2.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

$662 €591

156.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

$525 €468

154.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

$1,292 €1,152

108.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$1,119 €998

85.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

$4,464 €3,982

60.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

$2,066 €1,843

145.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

$4,289 €3,826

-47.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.76

-15.16%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Braunschweig: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Braunschweig

$525 30.2% 60.7% $812

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Braunschweig

$341 19.6% 4% $13

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Braunschweig

$272 15.6% 1.7% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Braunschweig

$277 15.9% 19.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Braunschweig

$154 8.8% 2.2% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Braunschweig

$66 3.8% 9.7% $7.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Braunschweig

$104 6% 111% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $662 in Braunschweig. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braunschweig pays 91% 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 $79 in Braunschweig for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $341 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Braunschweig

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

253,167

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Braunschweig 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Braunschweig

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 Braunschweig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,738 in Braunschweig, so Braunschweig is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $662 in Braunschweig. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $390 in Braunschweig. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Braunschweig 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 Braunschweig are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.