Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Graz

For one person, living is cheaper in Graz: $2,191 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Graz
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Graz Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Graz

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Graz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,191 in Graz.

Barcelona $2,399
Graz $2,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,248 in Graz.

Barcelona $3,410
Graz $3,248

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,305 in Graz.

Barcelona $4,421
Graz $4,305

Living in Barcelona is roughly 10% more expensive than in Graz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Graz 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$16.62 €14.78

7.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$64.7 €57.6

5.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$13.31 €11.84

-0.23%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.32 €3.84

-24.77%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.88 €3.45

-22.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.90 €2.58

-35.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.64 €5.01

-31.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.42 €4.82

-17.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.83 €1.63

-29.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.11 €2.77

-34.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.86 €2.55

-39.86%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$5.31 €4.72

-10.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$23.61 €21.00

-28.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$14.78 €13.15

-39.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$23.44 €20.85

-15.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.03 €2.70

-1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.53 €2.25

-19.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.25 €2.89

-16.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.62 €3.22

-25.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.99 €1.77

5.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.07 €1.84

0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.93 €1.72

-24.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.92 €0.82

-3.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$7.68 €6.83

-9.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$8.83 €7.86

-11.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.50 €1.33

-3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.17 €1.93

18.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.63 €3.23

-17.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$75.3 €67.0

-66.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$5.35 €4.76

-41.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.63 €2.34

-45.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$34.91 €31.05

-4.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.04 €1.82

-12.25%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$30.1K €26.7K

15.20%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$27.4K €24.4K

9.84%

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

$178 €158

$379 €337

-53.05%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$14.16 €12.60

-5.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$35.01 €31.14

-0.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$39.82 €35.42

33.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$22.59 €20.09

-29.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$13.17 €11.72

-16.02%

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

$957 €851

$527 €469

81.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$5,540 €4,928

199.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$102 €90.9

-13.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$40.02 €35.60

-1.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$110 €98.0

-6.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$159 €142

-23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$840 €747

96.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$695 €619

87.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,472 €1,309

73.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,181 €1,051

62.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$5,952 €5,294

22.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,179 €2,828

59.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,082 €2,742

-26.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.59

-8.64%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Graz: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Graz

$695 31.7% 46.6% $606

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Graz

$417 19% 30.2% $97

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Graz

$291 13.3% 7.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Graz

$428 19.5% 89.3% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Graz

$185 8.5% 17% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Graz

$66 3% 12.2% $9.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Graz

$108 5% 128% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $840 in Graz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Graz pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $65.0 in Graz. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $417, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇹 Graz

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

331,359

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Graz 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Graz

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 Graz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Graz differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,191 including rent). Graz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Graz. 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 $840 in Graz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $527 in Graz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,191 in Graz versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Graz but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Graz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Graz 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 Graz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.