Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Eskilstuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Eskilstuna: $1,748 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Eskilstuna
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Eskilstuna Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Eskilstuna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Eskilstuna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna.

Barcelona $2,399
Eskilstuna $1,748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,674 in Eskilstuna.

Barcelona $3,410
Eskilstuna $2,674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,600 in Eskilstuna.

Barcelona $4,421
Eskilstuna $3,600

Living in Barcelona is roughly 37% more expensive than in Eskilstuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Eskilstuna 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$13.55 SEK 134

32.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$63.9 SEK 633

6.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$10.22 SEK 101

29.94%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.29 SEK 42.52

-24.24%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.58 SEK 25.55

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.21 SEK 21.94

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$4.90 SEK 48.55

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.00 SEK 49.54

-10.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.43 SEK 14.20

-9.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.15 SEK 31.18

-35.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.41 SEK 33.81

-49.56%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.93 SEK 38.94

21.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.32 SEK 132

25.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$12.27 SEK 122

-27.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$12.74 SEK 126

56.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.23 SEK 32.01

-7.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.68 SEK 26.55

-24.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.53 SEK 25.11

7.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.72 SEK 36.88

-27.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.41 SEK 13.96

48.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.79 SEK 17.72

16.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.05 SEK 30.24

-52.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.72 SEK 17.07

-48.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.88 SEK 68.2

0.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$7.80 SEK 77.2

-0.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.96 SEK 19.42

-26.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.20 SEK 21.82

16.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.23 SEK 32.02

-7.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$66.9 SEK 663

-62.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$12.72 SEK 126

-75.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.05 SEK 20.27

-29.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$78.2 SEK 775

-57.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.73 SEK 17.16

3.47%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$31.4K SEK 311.5K

10.16%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$32.5K SEK 321.7K

-7.40%

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

$178 €158

$177 SEK 1,751

0.64%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$28.43 SEK 282

-53.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$38.00 SEK 377

-8.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$24.49 SEK 243

117.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$25.82 SEK 256

-37.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$10.84 SEK 107

2.03%

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

$957 €851

$148 SEK 1,468

545.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$5,008 SEK 49.6K

230.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$98.2 SEK 973

-10.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$29.44 SEK 292

34.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$89.7 SEK 889

14.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$148 SEK 1,465

-17.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$791 SEK 7,840

108.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$602 SEK 5,961

116.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,150 SEK 11.4K

122.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,029 SEK 10.2K

86.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$4,052 SEK 40.2K

79.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$2,775 SEK 27.5K

83.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$4,169 SEK 41.3K

-45.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.8

17.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Eskilstuna: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Eskilstuna

$602 34.4% 53.8% $700

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Eskilstuna

$346 19.8% 8.1% $26

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Eskilstuna

$244 14% 9.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Eskilstuna

$243 13.9% 7.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Eskilstuna

$164 9.4% 3.8% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Eskilstuna

$46 2.6% 38.7% $29

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Eskilstuna

$103 5.9% 117% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $791 in Eskilstuna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eskilstuna pays 83% 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 $64.0 in Eskilstuna. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $346, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇪 Eskilstuna

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

67,359

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Eskilstuna 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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Eskilstuna

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 Eskilstuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Eskilstuna differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,748 including rent). Eskilstuna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Eskilstuna. 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 $791 in Eskilstuna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $148 in Eskilstuna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,748 in Eskilstuna versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Eskilstuna but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Eskilstuna 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 Eskilstuna 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 Eskilstuna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.