Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Fagersta

For one person, living is cheaper in Fagersta: $1,942 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Fagersta
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,942
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Fagersta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,942 in Fagersta.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Fagersta $1,942

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,860 in Fagersta.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Fagersta $2,860

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,777 in Fagersta.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Fagersta $3,777

Living in Barcelona is roughly 23% more expensive than in Fagersta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Fagersta 43% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Fagersta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.92
$13.59 SEK 135
31.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €58.9
$64.3 SEK 637
2.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.18
$10.09 SEK 100
35.68%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$4.33 SEK 42.95
-29.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$2.57 SEK 25.47
19.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$2.16 SEK 21.45
-10.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$7.19 SEK 71.2
-46.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.10
$6.90 SEK 68.3
-33.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Fagersta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.71 SEK 16.95
-23.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$3.19 SEK 31.60
-34.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.62
$5.74 SEK 56.8
-68.12%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$5.54 SEK 54.9
-16.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.44
$13.73 SEK 136
26.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.25
$13.17 SEK 130
-29.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.64
$17.45 SEK 173
13.64%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.68
$3.11 SEK 30.79
-3.22%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$2.69 SEK 26.68
-24.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$2.08 SEK 20.61
27.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.55
$4.68 SEK 46.34
-38.68%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.47 SEK 14.57
46.94%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.78 SEK 17.61
20.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$2.33 SEK 23.04
-36.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$1.88 SEK 18.66
-53.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.16
$7.10 SEK 70.4
-2.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.96
$10.26 SEK 102
-23.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$2.02 SEK 19.98
-31.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.34
$2.30 SEK 22.82
14.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Fagersta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.59
$3.16 SEK 31.33
-7.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.64
$83.4 SEK 827
-69.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.66
$13.21 SEK 131
-77.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.06 SEK 20.40
-30.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.53
$81.7 SEK 809
-59.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.76 SEK 17.48
5.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$33.3K SEK 330.2K
-2.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.2K
$33.6K SEK 332.9K
-5.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Fagersta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$174 SEK 1,726
4.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.11
$28.08 SEK 278
-51.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.29
$46.58 SEK 462
-29.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Fagersta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.65
$39.23 SEK 389
39.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.70
$25.35 SEK 251
-34.83%
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$16.05 SEK 159
-30.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Fagersta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €849
$222 SEK 2,200
329.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$5,084 SEK 50.4K
226.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Fagersta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.5
$98.1 SEK 971
-12.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.78
$53.9 SEK 534
-27.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.2
$94.0 SEK 932
10.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$213 SEK 2,109
-44.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Fagersta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,508
$808 SEK 8,003
109.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,135
$644 SEK 6,381
98.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,291
$1,279 SEK 12.7K
101.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,710
$888 SEK 8,794
116.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,477
$4,636 SEK 45.9K
57.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,456
$2,560 SEK 25.4K
95.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Fagersta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,981
-
-
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 20, 2026

Last update for Fagersta: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Fagersta
$644 49.5% $632
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Fagersta
$392 20.6% $67
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Fagersta
$260 3.7% $9.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Fagersta
$249 8.5% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Fagersta
$206 32.1% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Fagersta
$71 7.5% $5.8
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Fagersta
$120 153% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $808 in Fagersta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $64.0 in Fagersta. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $392, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇸🇪 Fagersta
🕒 Local time
10:21 10:21 AM
10:21 10:21 AM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
13,362
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Fagersta 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Fagersta

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 Fagersta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Fagersta?
Barcelona and Fagersta differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,942 including rent). Fagersta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Fagersta?
You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $2,913 in Fagersta to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Fagersta?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $808 in Fagersta. 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 Fagersta?
Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $222 in Fagersta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,942 in Fagersta versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Fagersta but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Fagersta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Fagersta?
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 Fagersta safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Fagersta are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Fagersta?
Expats usually find Fagersta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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