Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Dornbirn

For one person, living is cheaper in Dornbirn: $2,324 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Dornbirn
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Dornbirn Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Dornbirn

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,324

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Dornbirn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,324 in Dornbirn.

Barcelona $2,443
Dornbirn $2,324

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,422 in Dornbirn.

Barcelona $3,519
Dornbirn $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,519 in Dornbirn.

Barcelona $4,595
Dornbirn $4,519

Living in Barcelona is roughly 5% more expensive than in Dornbirn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Dornbirn 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.79

$17.95 €16.05

-1.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$78.0 €69.7

-13.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.17

$11.25 €10.06

20.98%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$4.36 €3.90

-28.90%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$4.36 €3.90

-31.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$3.60 €3.22

-46.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$5.11 €4.57

-24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$4.42 €3.95

-1.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.68 €1.50

-25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$3.00 €2.68

-29.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.26 €2.02

-12.83%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$5.16 €4.62

-7.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.26

$16.91 €15.12

0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$13.66 €12.21

-34.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.46

$15.43 €13.80

33.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$2.83 €2.53

11.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.37 €2.12

-16.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.69 €3.30

-28.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$3.95 €3.53

-27.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.19 €1.96

-5.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.62 €2.34

-16.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.93 €1.73

-20.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.01 €0.91

-3.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$7.30 €6.53

-4.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$10.19 €9.11

-22.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.45 €1.29

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.12 €1.90

26.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.43 €3.07

-3.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.90

$54.1 €48.33

-52.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$5.00 €4.47

-38.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.99 €2.68

-50.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.40

$40.35 €36.08

-18.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.88 €1.69

-0.53%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$29.5K €26.4K

11.84%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$32.7K €29.3K

-2.37%

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

$183 €164

$318 €285

-42.57%

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

$14.24 €12.73

$14.30 €12.78

-0.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.91

$31.04 €27.76

11.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.98

$54.1 €48.33

-4.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.65

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.89

$14.53 €13.00

-23.88%

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

$944 €844

$449 €401

110.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$37.8K €33.8K

-41.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.4

$55.3 €49.45

58.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.67

$60.2 €53.8

-35.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$45.22 €40.43

131.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$45.59 €40.76

158.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,517

$1,252 €1,119

35.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,195

$1,032 €923

29.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,407

$1,925 €1,721

39.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,857

$1,739 €1,555

19.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,398

$8,785 €7,855

-18.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,542

$7,266 €6,497

-30.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,004

$2,899 €2,593

-22.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.61

-11.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dornbirn: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Dornbirn

$1K 44.4% 22.8% $305

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Dornbirn

$368 15.9% 12.3% $40

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Dornbirn

$296 12.7% 10.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Dornbirn

$364 15.7% 57% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Dornbirn

$93 4% 40.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Dornbirn

$83 3.6% 13% $9.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Dornbirn

$88 3.8% 77.8% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,252 in Dornbirn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dornbirn pays 29% 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 $78 in Dornbirn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $368 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇹 Dornbirn

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

51,222

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Dornbirn 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Dornbirn

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 Dornbirn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,324 in Dornbirn, so Dornbirn is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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 $1,252 in Dornbirn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $449 in Dornbirn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Dornbirn is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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