Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Elblag

For one person, living is cheaper in Elblag: $1,457 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Elblag
Learn more

Elblag Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Elblag

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Elblag

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,457 in Elblag.

Barcelona $2,453
Elblag $1,457

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,110 in Elblag.

Barcelona $3,509
Elblag $2,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,762 in Elblag.

Barcelona $4,564
Elblag $2,762

Living in Barcelona is roughly 68% more expensive than in Elblag, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Elblag 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$12.10 zł 47.82

45.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$27.08 zł 107

149.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$7.47 zł 29.52

81.12%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.53 zł 13.94

-9.63%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.17 zł 8.58

34.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.64 zł 6.50

15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.13 zł 12.38

28.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.76 zł 14.85

20.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.99 zł 3.93

32.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.62 zł 6.40

24.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$0.91 zł 3.60

103.30%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.70 zł 14.63

30.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$8.91 zł 35.22

87.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$6.94 zł 27.43

31.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$11.75 zł 46.47

67.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.36 zł 5.36

119.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.73 zł 6.83

16.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.60 zł 6.34

68.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.20 zł 12.63

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.75 zł 2.95

178.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.32 zł 5.20

56.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.15 zł 4.56

26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.53 zł 2.11

77.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$4.21 zł 16.63

63.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.50 zł 25.69

21.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.53 zł 2.08

166.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.35 zł 5.34

88.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.01 zł 3.98

210.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$24.69 zł 97.6

3.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.10 zł 8.30

42.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.78 zł 3.10

91.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$10.19 zł 40.29

227.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.53 zł 6.06

17.65%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$30.8K zł 121.9K

7.67%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$25.3K zł 100.1K

25.13%

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

$180 €162

$283 zł 1,120

-36.31%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$8.14 zł 32.19

70.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$13.81 zł 54.6

144.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$42.10 zł 166

22.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$21.62 zł 85.5

-26.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$5.47 zł 21.60

100.91%

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

$917 €821

$323 zł 1,278

183.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$1,952 zł 7,715

744.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$80.7 zł 319

7.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$36.60 zł 145

5.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$87.3 zł 345

21.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$98.4 zł 389

21.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$604 zł 2,388

181.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$513 zł 2,028

164.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$992 zł 3,923

162.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$896 zł 3,540

130.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,130 zł 8,420

224.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,224 zł 8,791

130.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,295 zł 5,118

70.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.89

-52.39%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Elblag: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Elblag

$513 35.2% 62.2% $842

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Elblag

$215 14.8% 33.2% $107

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Elblag

$200 13.7% 25.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Elblag

$305 20.9% 33.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Elblag

$136 9.4% 13.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Elblag

$53 3.6% 27.9% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Elblag

$35 2.4% 28.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $604 in Elblag. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 71% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $27 in Elblag for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $215 per month, with Elblag cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇱 Elblag

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

122,899

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Elblag 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Elblag

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 Elblag: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,457 in Elblag, so Elblag is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $604 in Elblag. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $323 in Elblag. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% 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 Elblag are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Elblag gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.