Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Den Helder

For one person, living is cheaper in Den Helder: $2,036 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Den Helder
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Den Helder Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Den Helder

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Den Helder

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,036 in Den Helder.

Barcelona $2,443
Den Helder $2,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,065 in Den Helder.

Barcelona $3,519
Den Helder $3,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,094 in Den Helder.

Barcelona $4,595
Den Helder $4,094

Living in Barcelona is roughly 20% more expensive than in Den Helder, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Den Helder 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.72

$19.51 €17.38

-9.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$52.3 €46.55

29.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$8.20 €7.30

65.98%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.72 €3.32

-16.67%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$3.05 €2.72

-1.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.98 €2.65

-35.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$5.18 €4.61

-25.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$5.13 €4.57

-15.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.14 €1.02

9.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.28 €1.14

65.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.85 €0.76

131.76%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$4.13 €3.68

15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$9.82 €8.74

73.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$14.46 €12.88

-38.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$15.99 €14.24

29.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.72 €2.42

16.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.96 €1.74

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.25 €1.12

112.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$4.21 €3.75

-31.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.42 €1.26

45.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.05 €0.93

107.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.01 €0.90

51.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.76 €0.67

27.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$13.47 €11.99

-48.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$7.20 €6.41

9.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.32 €1.18

7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.57 €2.29

4.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$9.65 €8.60

-65.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.80

$155 €138

-83.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.95 €3.52

-22.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.23 €2.88

-54.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.27

$37.42 €33.32

-12.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.38 €2.12

-21.43%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$41.2K €36.7K

-19.95%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$40.0K €35.6K

-20.16%

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

$183 €163

$203 €181

-9.96%

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

$14.24 €12.68

$15.46 €13.76

-7.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.78

$20.27 €18.05

70.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.79

$24.05 €21.41

113.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.59

$19.46 €17.32

-15.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$14.32 €12.75

-22.77%

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

$944 €840

$2,843 €2,532

-66.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$6,144 €5,471

262.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$114 €101

-22.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.52

$47.77 €42.54

-18.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$117 €104

-10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$137 €122

-13.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,511

$879 €783

92.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$767 €683

74.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,397

$1,810 €1,612

48.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,849

$1,319 €1,174

57.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,371

$2,895 €2,578

147.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,522

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,996

$2,466 €2,195

-9.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

2.8

13.93%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Den Helder: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Den Helder

$767 37.7% 42.6% $569

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Den Helder

$291 14.3% 11.2% $37

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Den Helder

$286 14% 7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Den Helder

$239 11.7% 3.1% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Den Helder

$187 9.2% 19% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Den Helder

$53 2.6% 28.3% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Den Helder

$214 10.5% 333% $164

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $879 in Den Helder. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Den Helder pays 10% 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 $52 in Den Helder for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $291 per month, with Den Helder cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Den Helder

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

56,296

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Den Helder 1,300 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Den Helder

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 Den Helder: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,036 in Den Helder, so Den Helder is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% 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 $879 in Den Helder. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $2,843 in Den Helder. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% 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 Den Helder are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.