Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Dusseldorf

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Dusseldorf: $2,399 and $2,285 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Dusseldorf
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Dusseldorf Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Dusseldorf

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Dusseldorf

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,285 in Dusseldorf.

Barcelona $2,399
Dusseldorf $2,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,476 in Dusseldorf.

Barcelona $3,410
Dusseldorf $3,476

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,668 in Dusseldorf.

Barcelona $4,421
Dusseldorf $4,668

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Dusseldorf 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$16.41 €14.60

9.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$70.4 €62.6

-3.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$13.53 €12.03

-1.85%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.23 €3.76

-23.17%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.09 €2.75

-2.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.91 €2.59

-35.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.12 €4.55

-24.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.40 €3.91

1.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.32 €1.17

-2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.39 €2.13

-14.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.99 €2.66

-42.47%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.33 €3.85

10.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$15.10 €13.43

11.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$13.05 €11.61

-31.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$22.49 €20.00

-11.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.18 €2.83

-6.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.17 €1.93

-6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.14 €1.90

27.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.23 €3.76

-36.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.20 €1.07

75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.21 €1.07

71.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.64 €1.46

-11.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.25 €1.11

-28.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$9.42 €8.38

-26.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$6.65 €5.91

16.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.11 €0.99

30.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.70 €1.52

51.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$4.01 €3.57

-25.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$69.6 €61.9

-63.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$5.46 €4.86

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.04 €2.71

-52.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$47.97 €42.67

-30.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.28 €2.02

-21.49%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$32.6K €29.0K

6.36%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$38.3K €34.0K

-21.42%

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

$178 €158

$339 €302

-47.59%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$19.47 €17.32

-31.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$41.64 €37.04

-16.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$43.15 €38.38

23.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$35.20 €31.31

-54.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$15.91 €14.15

-30.48%

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

$957 €851

$1,070 €952

-10.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$19.7K €17.5K

-15.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$102 €91.0

-13.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$41.11 €36.57

-3.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$112 €100

-8.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$167 €149

-27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,077 €958

53.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$878 €781

48.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,358 €2,097

8.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,669 €1,485

14.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$8,943 €7,955

-18.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$4,892 €4,351

3.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,778 €3,360

-39.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.91

-16.11%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dusseldorf: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Dusseldorf

$878 38.4% 32.5% $423

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Dusseldorf

$353 15.5% 10.2% $33

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Dusseldorf

$281 12.3% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Dusseldorf

$400 17.5% 77.1% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Dusseldorf

$191 8.3% 20.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Dusseldorf

$75 3.3% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Dusseldorf

$106 4.7% 124% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,077 in Dusseldorf. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dusseldorf pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $70.0 in Dusseldorf for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $353 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Dusseldorf

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

618,128

💱 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 Dusseldorf 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Dusseldorf

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 Dusseldorf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Dusseldorf differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,285 including rent). Dusseldorf is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Dusseldorf. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,077 in Dusseldorf. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,070 in Dusseldorf. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,285 in Dusseldorf versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dusseldorf but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dusseldorf the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Dusseldorf are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dusseldorf gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.