Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hella

For one person, living is cheaper in Hella: $1,723 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hella

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,723 in Hella.

Barcelona $2,443
Hella $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,927 in Hella.

Barcelona $3,519
Hella $2,927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,131 in Hella.

Barcelona $4,595
Hella $4,131

Living in Barcelona is roughly 42% more expensive than in Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Hella 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.75

$31.22 ISK 3,793

-43.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$121 ISK 14.7K

-44.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.14

$27.24 ISK 3,310

-50.04%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$6.89 ISK 837

-55.01%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$3.25 ISK 395

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$3.08 ISK 375

-37.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$14.16 ISK 1,721

-72.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$12.30 ISK 1,495

-64.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.00 ISK 243

-37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$4.30 ISK 522

-50.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.66 ISK 444

-46.17%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$7.27 ISK 883

-34.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$21.85 ISK 2,654

-21.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.99

$24.10 ISK 2,928

-62.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.42

$41.15 ISK 4,999

-49.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$3.36 ISK 408

-5.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.83 ISK 343

-30.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.21 ISK 390

-17.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$6.56 ISK 798

-56.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$3.91 ISK 475

-47.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.69 ISK 205

28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$3.64 ISK 442

-57.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.83 ISK 223

-46.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.21

$13.97 ISK 1,697

-50.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$23.32 ISK 2,834

-66.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$3.66 ISK 445

-61.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.49 ISK 424

-22.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.84

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$6.76 ISK 821

-54.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.75 ISK 334

-46.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.32

$80.8 ISK 9,813

-59.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.10 ISK 255

-10.95%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$67.9K ISK 8.2M

-51.42%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$56.3K ISK 6.8M

-43.21%

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

$183 €163

$96.8 ISK 11.8K

88.84%

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

$14.24 €12.70

$32.49 ISK 3,948

-56.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.83

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

-59.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.87

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.62

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.87

$19.81 ISK 2,407

-44.17%

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

$944 €842

$1,205 ISK 146.4K

-21.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

-12.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.2

$150 ISK 18.2K

-41.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.59

$66.8 ISK 8,112

-41.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$185 ISK 22.5K

-43.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$252 ISK 30.6K

-53.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,514

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,192

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,401

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,382

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,530

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,999

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

8.81

-63.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hella: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Hella

$619 35.9% 88.9% $291

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Hella

$535 31.1% 100% $268

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Hella

$214 12.4% 7.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Hella

$294 17.1% 87.5% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Hella

$40 * 2.3% 46.1% $34

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 58.5% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $121 in Hella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $619 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

06:02 6:02 AM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Hella 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,723 in Hella, so Hella is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $2,584 in Hella to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,205 in Hella. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $121 in Hella. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Hella 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.