Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Gouda

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Gouda: $2,399 and $2,472 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Gouda
Learn more

Gouda Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Gouda

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Gouda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,472 in Gouda.

Barcelona $2,399
Gouda $2,472

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,894 in Gouda.

Barcelona $3,410
Gouda $3,894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $5,316 in Gouda.

Barcelona $4,421
Gouda $5,316

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 3% less than in Gouda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Gouda 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$19.24 €17.11

-6.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$90.0 €80.1

-24.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$15.22 €13.54

-12.75%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.45 €3.96

-26.97%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.43 €3.05

-12.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$3.07 €2.73

-39.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$7.95 €7.07

-51.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.84 €5.19

-23.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.25 €1.11

3.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.21 €1.96

-7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.57 €2.28

-33.07%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.59 €4.08

3.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$14.53 €12.93

15.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$12.91 €11.49

-30.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$16.62 €14.78

19.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.68 €2.39

11.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.28 €2.03

-10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.97 €1.75

38.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.65 €3.24

-26.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.72 €1.53

22.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.91 €1.70

8.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.17 €1.04

23.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.95 €0.85

-6.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$13.40 €11.92

-48.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$6.58 €5.85

18.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.51 €2.23

2.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.53 €3.14

-15.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$83.2 €74.0

-69.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.44 €3.06

-9.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.30 €2.93

-56.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$22.00 €19.57

52.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.39 €2.12

-25.10%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$41.9K €37.3K

-17.44%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$38.1K €33.9K

-21.16%

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

$178 €158

$274 €244

-35.16%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$15.23 €13.55

-12.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$49.04 €43.62

-28.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$59.1 €52.6

-9.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$24.27 €21.59

-34.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$14.77 €13.14

-25.12%

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

$957 €851

$1,751 €1,558

-45.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$13.3K €11.8K

24.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$95.0 €84.5

-7.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$42.29 €37.62

-6.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$105 €93.4

-2.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$140 €124

-13.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,785 €1,588

-7.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,100 €978

18.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,804 €2,494

-8.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$2,261 €2,011

-15.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$5,355 €4,763

36.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$4,381 €3,897

15.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,477 €2,203

-7.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.4

-3.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gouda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Gouda

$1.1K 44.5% 15.5% $202

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Gouda

$325 13.2% 1.5% $4.8

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Gouda

$330 13.4% 22.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Gouda

$339 13.7% 49.8% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Gouda

$172 7% 8.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Gouda

$89 3.6% 17.6% $13

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Gouda

$117 4.7% 147% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,785 in Gouda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gouda pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $90.0 in Gouda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Gouda

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

73,427

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Gouda 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Gouda

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 Gouda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Gouda differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,472 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Gouda. 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 $1,785 in Gouda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,751 in Gouda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Gouda. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Gouda 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Gouda. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.