Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Drachten

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Drachten: $2,453 and $2,491 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Drachten
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Drachten Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Drachten

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Drachten

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,491 in Drachten.

Barcelona $2,453
Drachten $2,491

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,653 in Drachten.

Barcelona $3,509
Drachten $3,653

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,816 in Drachten.

Barcelona $4,564
Drachten $4,816

Monthly costs are close between Barcelona and Drachten; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Drachten 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$24.29 €21.76

-27.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$84.4 €75.7

-20.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.49 €12.09

0.30%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.02 €3.60

-20.65%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.76 €3.37

-22.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.14 €2.82

-39.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.56 €4.98

-27.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.71 €5.12

-20.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.17 €1.05

11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.35 €1.21

49.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.54 €1.38

20.13%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.04 €4.51

-4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$12.60 €11.29

32.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.58 €12.17

-32.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$12.14 €10.88

61.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.89 €1.70

57.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.40 €2.15

-15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.87 €1.68

44.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.06 €2.74

-8.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.65 €1.48

26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.53 €1.37

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.24 €1.12

17.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.69 €0.61

36.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$9.17 €8.22

-25.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.66 €5.97

18.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.49 €1.34

-5.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.64 €2.37

-3.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.66 €3.28

-14.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$89.6 €80.3

-71.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.16 €3.73

-28.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.21 €2.88

-53.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$49.57 €44.42

-32.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.25 €2.01

-20.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$41.0K €36.8K

-19.08%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$37.5K €33.6K

-15.44%

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

$180 €162

$277 €248

-34.80%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$23.94 €21.45

-42.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$49.81 €44.63

-32.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$41.38 €37.08

24.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$26.42 €23.67

-39.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$16.14 €14.46

-31.91%

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

$917 €821

$2,362 €2,117

-61.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,090 €7,249

103.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$59.1 €53.0

47.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$44.01 €39.43

-12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$89.3 €80.1

18.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$134 €120

-10.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,436 €1,287

18.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,158 €1,038

17.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,345 €2,102

10.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,871 €1,676

10.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,630 €5,045

22.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$4,529 €4,059

13.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,606 €2,335

-15.15%

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 Drachten: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Drachten

$1.2K 46.5% 14.5% $197

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Drachten

$288 11.5% 10.7% $34

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Drachten

$350 14% 30.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Drachten

$350 14.1% 53.7% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Drachten

$147 5.9% 7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Drachten

$74 3% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Drachten

$124 5% 157% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,436 in Drachten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drachten pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $84 in Drachten. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $288, with Drachten cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Drachten

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

45,186

💱 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 Drachten 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Drachten

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 Drachten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 15% 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 $1,436 in Drachten. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,362 in Drachten. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $84 in Drachten. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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