Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Enschede

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Enschede: $2,381 and $2,363 a month, rent and utilities included.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Enschede
Learn more

Enschede Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Enschede

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Enschede

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,363 in Enschede.

Barcelona $2,381
Enschede $2,363

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,680 in Enschede.

Barcelona $3,406
Enschede $3,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,996 in Enschede.

Barcelona $4,431
Enschede $4,996

Living in Barcelona is roughly 1% more expensive than in Enschede, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Enschede 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$21.35 €18.99

-16.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$79.9 €71.1

-17.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$15.56 €13.84

-12.02%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.06 €3.62

-24.63%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.55 €3.16

-13.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.88 €2.57

-32.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.02 €5.35

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.31 €5.61

-26.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.35 €1.20

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.50 €2.22

-16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.64 €2.35

-30.68%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.39 €3.91

5.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$13.75 €12.23

26.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$14.53 €12.92

-36.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.76 €13.13

34.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.69 €2.39

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.19 €1.95

-7.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.19 €1.95

21.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.77 €4.24

-39.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.12 €2.77

-30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.13 €1.90

0.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.20 €1.06

22.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.76 €0.67

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$14.10 €12.54

-50.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.65 €5.91

17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.44 €1.28

-3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.97 €2.64

-11.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.96 €2.64

-1.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$113 €101

-77.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.76 €3.34

-20.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.56 €2.28

-43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$27.53 €24.49

20.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.54 €2.26

-26.77%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$41.9K €37.2K

-22.75%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$38.9K €34.6K

-18.50%

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

$183 €163

$262 €233

-30.28%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$21.36 €19.00

-36.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$44.78 €39.83

-26.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$34.20 €30.42

59.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$24.17 €21.50

-31.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$19.13 €17.02

-41.30%

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

$954 €849

$1,198 €1,065

-20.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,959 €7,079

108.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$93.5 €83.1

-7.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$37.39 €33.26

4.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$91.6 €81.5

13.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$101 €89.7

17.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,334 €1,187

27.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,002 €892

27.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,509 €2,232

2.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,994 €1,774

-3.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,629 €4,118

57.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,233 €2,876

54.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,857 €2,541

-22.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.6

-28.70%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Enschede: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Enschede

$1K 42.4% 21.4% $274

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Enschede

$338 14.3% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Enschede

$335 14.2% 24.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Enschede

$328 13.9% 43.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Enschede

$145 6.2% 6.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Enschede

$72 3.1% 6.1% $4.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Enschede

$141 6% 199% $94

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,334 in Enschede. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Enschede pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $80.0 in Enschede for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $338 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Enschede

🕒 Local time

21:10 9:10 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

161,235

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Enschede 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Enschede

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 Enschede: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Enschede differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,363 including rent). Enschede is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Enschede. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,334 in Enschede. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,198 in Enschede. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,363 in Enschede versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Enschede but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Enschede 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 Enschede 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 Enschede gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.