Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Esztergom

For one person, living is cheaper in Esztergom: $1,293 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Barcelona, Spain
Esztergom, Hungary
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,443
/mo nomad
Esztergom
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,293
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Esztergom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,293 in Esztergom.

  • Barcelona $2,443
  • Esztergom $1,293

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,975 in Esztergom.

  • Barcelona $3,519
  • Esztergom $1,975

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,657 in Esztergom.

  • Barcelona $4,595
  • Esztergom $2,657

Living in Barcelona is roughly 89% more expensive than in Esztergom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Esztergom is 4% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Esztergom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 €15.75
$12.34 Ft 4,009
43.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.2
$52.1 Ft 16.9K
29.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.61 €12.14
$9.31 Ft 3,025
46.19%
Cappuccino
$3.10 €2.77
$2.54 Ft 825
22.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.68
$1.88 Ft 612
59.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$1.19 Ft 388
62.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 €3.43
$2.99 Ft 973
28.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.89
$2.74 Ft 889
59.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Esztergom
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.21 Ft 392
3.31%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 €1.90
$1.44 Ft 467
47.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$2.42 Ft 785
-18.60%
Eggs
$4.76 €4.25
$3.07 Ft 999
55.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.07 €15.22
$10.79 Ft 3,507
58.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.96 €7.99
$6.08 Ft 1,977
47.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.65 €18.42
$13.39 Ft 4,351
54.22%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 €2.82
$2.35 Ft 762
34.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$2.04 Ft 662
-3.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.37
$2.04 Ft 661
29.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 €2.57
$3.88 Ft 1,260
-25.77%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 €1.84
$1.18 Ft 384
74.58%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.95
$1.30 Ft 423
67.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.77 Ft 574
-13.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.87
$0.49 Ft 159
97.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.97 €6.21
$7.55 Ft 2,453
-7.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.04
$5.95 Ft 1,935
32.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$1.26 Ft 409
12.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 €2.40
$1.57 Ft 509
71.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Esztergom
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.31 €2.95
$1.24 Ft 403
166.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.61 €22.84
$26.75 Ft 8,693
-4.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 €2.75
$2.99 Ft 970
3.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.49 Ft 485
-0.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.87 €29.32
$18.48 Ft 6,006
77.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.88 Ft 612
-0.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.4K
$32.1K Ft 10.4M
2.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.5K
$35.4K Ft 11.5M
-9.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Esztergom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$150 Ft 48.8K
21.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.24 €12.70
$32.97 Ft 10.7K
-56.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.56 €30.83
$26.93 Ft 8,752
28.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Esztergom
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 €45.87
$49.74 Ft 16.2K
3.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 €14.62
$17.97 Ft 5,838
-8.85%
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.87
$7.64 Ft 2,483
44.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Esztergom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$944 €842
$244 Ft 79.4K
286.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K €19.9K
$7,630 Ft 2.5M
191.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Esztergom
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.7 €78.2
$86.6 Ft 28.1K
1.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.77 €34.59
$27.01 Ft 8,778
43.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.3
$96.3 Ft 31.3K
8.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €105
$106 Ft 34.4K
11.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Esztergom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,697 €1,514
$528 Ft 171.6K
221.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 €1,192
$400 Ft 130.1K
233.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,692 €2,401
$744 Ft 241.8K
261.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,077 €1,853
$647 Ft 210.2K
221.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,155 €6,382
$3,191 Ft 1.0M
124.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,079 €4,530
$2,443 Ft 794.0K
107.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Esztergom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,241 €1,999
$1,158 Ft 376.4K
93.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.19
8.25
-61.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Esztergom: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Esztergom
$400 70% $936
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$328
Esztergom
$243 25.8% $84
Eating Out
Barcelona
$267
Esztergom
$190 28.9% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$232
Esztergom
$210 9.4% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$157
Esztergom
$142 9.4% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Esztergom
$65 11.6% $8.5
Getting Around
Barcelona
$49
Esztergom
$42 14.5% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $528 in Esztergom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 94% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $52 in Esztergom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $243 per month, with Esztergom cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇭🇺 Esztergom
🕒 Local time
06:09 6:09 AM
06:09 6:09 AM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
28,642
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Esztergom 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Esztergom

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 Esztergom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Esztergom?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,293 in Esztergom, so Esztergom is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Barcelona or Esztergom?
Average pay runs 94% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Esztergom?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $528 in Esztergom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Esztergom?
Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $244 in Esztergom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Esztergom is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Esztergom?
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.
Is Barcelona or Esztergom safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Esztergom are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Barcelona and Esztergom?
It comes down to priorities – Esztergom wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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