Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Fulda

For one person, living is cheaper in Fulda: $1,924 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Fulda
Learn more

Fulda Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Fulda

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Fulda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,924 in Fulda.

Barcelona $2,453
Fulda $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,859 in Fulda.

Barcelona $3,509
Fulda $2,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,794 in Fulda.

Barcelona $4,564
Fulda $3,794

Living in Barcelona is roughly 27% more expensive than in Fulda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Fulda 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$13.33 €11.90

31.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$61.8 €55.1

9.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$11.83 €10.55

14.37%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$3.59 €3.20

-11.14%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$3.45 €3.08

-15.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.73 €2.43

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$4.67 €4.17

-14.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$4.24 €3.78

6.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.32 €1.17

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.89 €1.69

6.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$3.05 €2.72

-39.34%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.06 €2.73

57.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$11.88 €10.60

40.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$9.92 €8.85

-8.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$18.00 €16.06

9.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.27 €2.91

-8.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.99 €1.78

1.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.87 €1.67

44.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.73 €3.33

-24.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.39 €1.24

50.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.09 €0.97

89.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.54 €1.38

-5.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.33 €0.29

184.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$9.86 €8.80

-30.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$5.65 €5.04

39.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.04 €0.92

35.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.51 €1.35

68.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$3.83 €3.42

-18.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$65.7 €58.6

-61.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$4.08 €3.64

-26.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.99 €1.77

-9.55%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$26.5K €23.7K

25.22%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$33.7K €30.1K

-5.94%

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

$180 €161

$358 €320

-49.63%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$33.84 €30.19

-59.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$52.0 €46.36

-35.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$38.81 €34.63

32.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$16.46 €14.69

-33.23%

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

$917 €818

$512 €457

79.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$84.1 €75.0

3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$44.96 €40.11

-14.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$81.2 €72.5

30.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$168 €150

-28.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$737 €658

130.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$625 €558

116.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,479 €1,319

76.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,151 €1,027

79.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$2,744 €2,448

-19.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.04

-18.81%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fulda: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Fulda

$625 32.5% 53.9% $730

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Fulda

$286 14.9% 11.1% $36

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Fulda

$242 12.6% 9.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Fulda

$444 23.1% 94.8% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Fulda

$170 8.9% 7.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Fulda

$72 3.7% 2.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Fulda

$85 * 4.4% 75.5% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $737 in Fulda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fulda pays 24% 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 $62 in Fulda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $286 per month, with Fulda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Fulda

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

67,980

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Fulda 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Fulda

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 Fulda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,924 in Fulda, so Fulda is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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 $737 in Fulda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $512 in Fulda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Fulda gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Fulda are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.