Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bussum

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,560 in Bussum, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Bussum despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Bussum
Learn more

Bussum Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Bussum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bussum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,560 in Bussum.

Barcelona $2,453
Bussum $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,734 in Bussum.

Barcelona $3,509
Bussum $3,734

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,907 in Bussum.

Barcelona $4,564
Bussum $4,907

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 4% less than in Bussum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Bussum 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$24.67 €22.16

-28.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$85.1 €76.5

-20.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$13.37 €12.01

1.20%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.89 €3.50

-17.99%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.67 €3.30

-20.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.23 €2.90

-41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.52 €4.96

-27.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.76 €5.17

-21.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.17 €1.05

11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.33 €1.20

51.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.44 €2.19

-24.18%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$5.05 €4.53

-4.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$12.82 €11.52

30.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$14.58 €13.09

-37.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$17.05 €15.31

15.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$1.88 €1.69

58.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.39 €2.15

-15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.82 €1.63

48.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.68 €2.40

4.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.05 €1.84

1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.53 €1.37

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.23 €1.10

18.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.74 €0.67

27.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$13.83 €12.42

-50.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$6.66 €5.98

18.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.48 €1.33

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.83 €1.64

38.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.54 €3.18

-11.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$90.0 €80.8

-71.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$4.58 €4.11

-34.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.31 €2.97

-54.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$61.2 €55.0

-45.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.18 €1.96

-17.43%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$38.4K €34.5K

-13.50%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$23.4K €21.0K

35.29%

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

$180 €162

$279 €251

-35.43%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$24.08 €21.63

-42.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$50.2 €45.06

-32.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$58.6 €52.6

-12.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$23.43 €21.05

-31.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$16.85 €15.14

-34.78%

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

$917 €823

$2,374 €2,133

-61.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,760 €6,971

112.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$57.7 €51.8

50.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$44.39 €39.88

-13.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$90.4 €81.2

17.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$141 €127

-15.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,667 €1,498

1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,179 €1,059

14.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,358 €2,119

10.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,855 €1,666

11.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$5,977 €5,369

15.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$6,291 €5,651

-18.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$4,612 €4,143

-52.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.3

-23.72%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bussum: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Bussum

$1.2K 46% 13% $177

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Bussum

$309 12.1% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Bussum

$351 13.7% 31% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Bussum

$354 13.8% 55.1% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Bussum

$150 5.9% 4.9% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Bussum

$92 3.6% 25.5% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Bussum

$125 4.9% 158% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,667 in Bussum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bussum pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $85 in Bussum. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $309, with Bussum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Bussum

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

33,220

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bussum 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bussum

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 Bussum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,560 in Bussum, so Barcelona is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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 $1,667 in Bussum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,374 in Bussum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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