Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Darmstadt

For one person, living is cheaper in Darmstadt: $2,255 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Darmstadt
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Darmstadt Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Darmstadt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Darmstadt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,255 in Darmstadt.

Barcelona $2,453
Darmstadt $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,478 in Darmstadt.

Barcelona $3,509
Darmstadt $3,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,701 in Darmstadt.

Barcelona $4,564
Darmstadt $4,701

Living in Barcelona is roughly 9% more expensive than in Darmstadt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Darmstadt 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$22.50 €20.07

-21.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$65.8 €58.7

2.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$13.17 €11.75

2.73%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$4.00 €3.57

-20.25%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.34 €2.09

24.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.15 €1.91

-12.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$5.67 €5.06

-29.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$5.47 €4.88

-17.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.48 €1.32

-11.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.25 €2.01

-10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$3.85 €3.43

-51.95%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.24 €3.78

13.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$16.13 €14.39

3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$10.73 €9.58

-15.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$26.42 €23.58

-25.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.39 €3.02

-12.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.31 €2.06

-12.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.14 €1.91

26.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.88 €3.46

-27.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.20 €1.07

74.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.09 €0.97

89.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.47 €1.31

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.30 €1.16

-27.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$9.44 €8.42

-27.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$5.50 €4.91

43.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.21 €1.08

16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.57 €1.40

61.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$3.32 €2.96

-5.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$71.7 €63.9

-64.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$5.69 €5.08

-47.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.21 €1.97

-32.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$38.70 €34.53

-13.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.16 €1.92

-16.67%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$32.8K €29.2K

1.34%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$37.9K €33.8K

-16.42%

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

$180 €161

$341 €304

-47.11%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$32.19 €28.72

-57.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$52.2 €46.53

-35.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$40.28 €35.94

27.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$50.9 €45.37

-68.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$10.73 €9.58

2.42%

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

$917 €818

$1,070 €954

-14.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$43.6K €38.9K

-62.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$94.4 €84.3

-7.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$70.5 €62.9

-45.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$125 €111

-15.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$149 €133

-19.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,005 €897

69.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$787 €702

72.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$2,155 €1,923

20.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,578 €1,408

30.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$6,085 €5,429

13.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$4,334 €3,867

18.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$3,509 €3,130

-36.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.03

-18.61%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Darmstadt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Darmstadt

$787 34.9% 42% $569

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Darmstadt

$357 15.8% 11% $35

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Darmstadt

$325 14.4% 21.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Darmstadt

$425 18.9% 86.6% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Darmstadt

$198 8.8% 25.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Darmstadt

$62 2.7% 16% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Darmstadt

$102 4.5% 110% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,005 in Darmstadt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darmstadt pays 59% 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 $66 in Darmstadt. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $357, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Darmstadt

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

169,255

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Darmstadt 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Darmstadt

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 Darmstadt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,255 in Darmstadt, so Darmstadt is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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 $1,005 in Darmstadt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,070 in Darmstadt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 64% less than in Darmstadt. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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