Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Groningen

For one person, living is cheaper in Groningen: $2,282 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
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Groningen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Groningen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,282 in Groningen.

Barcelona $2,399
Groningen $2,282

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,443 in Groningen.

Barcelona $3,410
Groningen $3,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,603 in Groningen.

Barcelona $4,421
Groningen $4,603

Living in Barcelona is roughly 5% more expensive than in Groningen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Groningen 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$19.82 €17.63

-9.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$102 €91.0

-33.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$15.34 €13.65

-13.43%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.60 €4.10

-29.35%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.94 €3.50

-23.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$3.18 €2.83

-41.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.69 €5.06

-32.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.47 €4.87

-18.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.49 €1.32

-13.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.63 €2.34

-22.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.61 €2.32

-34.10%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$4.55 €4.05

4.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$12.72 €11.31

31.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$13.16 €11.71

-32.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$18.17 €16.16

9.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.99 €2.66

-0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.39 €2.13

-15.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.50 €2.22

9.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$4.76 €4.23

-43.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.04 €1.82

2.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.57 €1.40

32.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.30 €1.16

11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.27 €1.13

-29.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$14.45 €12.86

-51.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$6.54 €5.82

18.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.38 €1.22

5.07%

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

$4.14 €3.68

-27.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$67.5 €60.0

-62.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$6.78 €6.03

-53.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.73 €2.43

-47.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$28.38 €25.24

18.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.52 €2.24

-28.97%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$42.0K €37.3K

-17.45%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$39.1K €34.7K

-23.01%

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

$178 €158

$230 €204

-22.51%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$20.48 €18.21

-34.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$48.87 €43.47

-28.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$39.10 €34.78

36.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$15.07 €13.40

6.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$16.69 €14.84

-33.73%

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

$957 €851

$1,756 €1,562

-45.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$7,621 €6,779

117.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$105 €93.3

-15.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$44.13 €39.25

-10.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$103 €91.8

-0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$196 €174

-37.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,342 €1,194

23.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$931 €828

39.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,965 €1,748

30.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,473 €1,310

29.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$5,191 €4,618

40.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,906 €3,474

30.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,025 €2,691

-24.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.43

-4.37%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Groningen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Groningen

$931 40.8% 28.5% $371

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Groningen

$346 15.2% 8.1% $26

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Groningen

$328 14.4% 21.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Groningen

$299 13.1% 32.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Groningen

$202 8.8% 27.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Groningen

$72 3.2% 3.8% $2.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Groningen

$104 4.6% 120% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,342 in Groningen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Groningen pays 33% 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 $102 in Groningen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $346 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Groningen

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

201,242

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Groningen 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Groningen

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 Groningen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Groningen differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,282 including rent). Groningen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Groningen. 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 $1,342 in Groningen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,756 in Groningen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,282 in Groningen versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Groningen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Groningen 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 Groningen 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 Groningen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.