Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,008 a month against $2,453 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.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Gothenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,008 in Gothenburg.

Barcelona $2,453
Gothenburg $2,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,067 in Gothenburg.

Barcelona $3,509
Gothenburg $3,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,127 in Gothenburg.

Barcelona $4,564
Gothenburg $4,127

Living in Barcelona is roughly 22% more expensive than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Gothenburg 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$13.67 SEK 134

28.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$86.7 SEK 851

-22.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.40 SEK 122

9.11%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.04 SEK 49.48

-36.71%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.99 SEK 29.31

-2.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.33 SEK 22.89

-18.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.88 SEK 67.5

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.57 SEK 74.3

-40.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.73 SEK 16.97

-24.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.79 SEK 27.36

-27.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.26 SEK 31.97

-43.25%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.90 SEK 38.26

23.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$11.25 SEK 110

48.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.57 SEK 114

-21.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$16.43 SEK 161

19.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.01 SEK 29.54

-1.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.45 SEK 24.06

-17.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.90 SEK 28.48

-6.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.49 SEK 44.09

-37.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.83 SEK 17.95

14.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.67 SEK 16.36

23.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.05 SEK 20.11

-28.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.60 SEK 15.72

-41.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$8.35 SEK 81.9

-17.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$15.18 SEK 149

-48.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.04 SEK 20.04

-30.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.25 SEK 22.12

12.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.83 SEK 37.56

-18.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$86.4 SEK 848

-70.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$6.21 SEK 60.9

-51.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.67 SEK 16.37

-10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$59.2 SEK 581

-43.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.75 SEK 17.20

2.86%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

-0.66%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

-6.21%

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

$180 €162

$104 SEK 1,017

74.11%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$19.70 SEK 193

-29.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$34.35 SEK 337

-1.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$34.01 SEK 334

51.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$24.39 SEK 239

-34.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$16.98 SEK 167

-35.28%

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

$917 €821

$222 SEK 2,180

312.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

280.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$88.7 SEK 870

-1.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$32.91 SEK 323

17.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$87.8 SEK 861

20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$134 SEK 1,315

-10.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

53.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$874 SEK 8,575

55.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

39.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

47.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

7.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

27.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

-37.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.06

7.19%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 35.5% $482

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 11.8% $38

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 3.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 30.8% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 2.2% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 7.5% $5.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 140% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 59% 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 $87 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $360 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

607,882

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Gothenburg 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Gothenburg

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 Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,008 in Gothenburg, so Gothenburg is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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 $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $222 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Gothenburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Gothenburg is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barcelona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Gothenburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.