Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Erfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Erfurt: $2,200 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Erfurt
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Erfurt Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Erfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Erfurt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,200 in Erfurt.

Barcelona $2,453
Erfurt $2,200

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,220 in Erfurt.

Barcelona $3,509
Erfurt $3,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,240 in Erfurt.

Barcelona $4,564
Erfurt $4,240

Living in Barcelona is roughly 12% more expensive than in Erfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Erfurt 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$15.31 €13.66

14.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

-0.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$11.12 €9.93

21.67%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$3.32 €2.96

-3.92%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$4.28 €3.82

-32.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$7.77 €6.94

-75.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$4.53 €4.04

-11.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$4.98 €4.45

-9.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.40 €1.25

-6.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.13 €1.90

-5.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$3.21 €2.87

-42.37%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.28 €2.93

47.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$14.30 €12.76

17.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$10.53 €9.39

-13.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$17.69 €15.78

11.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.30 €2.95

-9.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.13 €1.90

-5.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$3.43 €3.06

-21.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.75 €3.35

-25.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.18 €1.95

-4.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.37 €1.22

51.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.57 €1.40

-7.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.82 €0.73

14.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$9.81 €8.75

-29.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$6.51 €5.81

21.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.09 €0.98

29.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.48 €1.32

71.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$3.21 €2.87

-2.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$70.8 €63.2

-64.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$5.43 €4.85

-44.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$4.22 €3.76

-64.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$45.08 €40.22

-25.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.13 €1.90

-15.49%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$32.3K €28.8K

2.67%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$37.7K €33.6K

-15.83%

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

$180 €161

$673 €600

-73.19%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$28.27 €25.22

-51.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$34.04 €30.37

-1.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$40.65 €36.27

26.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$29.35 €26.19

-45.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$15.39 €13.73

-28.59%

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

$917 €818

$442 €394

107.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$94.4 €84.2

-7.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$31.66 €28.25

21.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$122 €109

-13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$113 €101

5.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$744 €663

128.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$526 €469

157.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,608 €1,435

61.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,086 €969

89.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$4,721 €4,212

46.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$2,455 €2,190

108.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$3,032 €2,705

-27.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.95

-16.96%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Erfurt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Erfurt

$526 23.9% 61.2% $830

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Erfurt

$319 14.5% 1% $3.3

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Erfurt

$276 12.6% 3.2% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Erfurt

$735 33.4% 223% $507

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Erfurt

$162 7.4% 2.8% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Erfurt

$71 3.3% 2.8% $2.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Erfurt

$110 5% 127% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $744 in Erfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Erfurt pays 37% 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 $67 in Erfurt. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $319, with Erfurt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Erfurt

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

215,000

💱 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 Erfurt 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Erfurt

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 Erfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,200 in Erfurt, so Erfurt is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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 $744 in Erfurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $442 in Erfurt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $2,200 in Erfurt – Erfurt is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Erfurt 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 Erfurt are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.