Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hengelo

For one person, living is cheaper in Hengelo: $2,186 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Hengelo
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Hengelo Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Hengelo

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hengelo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,186 in Hengelo.

Barcelona $2,381
Hengelo $2,186

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,524 in Hengelo.

Barcelona $3,406
Hengelo $3,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,862 in Hengelo.

Barcelona $4,431
Hengelo $4,862

Living in Barcelona is roughly 9% more expensive than in Hengelo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Hengelo 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$22.67 €20.16

-21.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$83.3 €74.1

-20.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.26 €11.79

3.24%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.01 €3.57

-23.69%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.81 €3.39

-19.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.86 €2.55

-32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.27 €5.58

-38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.49 €5.78

-28.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.34 €1.20

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.46 €2.18

-14.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.64 €2.35

-30.68%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.34 €3.86

6.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$14.05 €12.50

23.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$13.81 €12.29

-32.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.57 €12.96

36.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.82 €2.51

6.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.23 €1.98

-8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.13 €1.89

24.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.66 €3.26

-21.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.87 €1.66

15.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.88 €1.67

14.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.21 €1.07

21.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.70 €0.63

25.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$13.87 €12.34

-50.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.58 €5.86

19.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.36 €1.21

2.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.68 €2.39

-1.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$5.12 €4.55

-43.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$90.1 €80.2

-71.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.62 €3.22

-17.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.58 €2.29

-44.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$44.23 €39.34

-24.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.53 €2.25

-26.48%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$41.1K €36.6K

-21.39%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$38.6K €34.4K

-17.96%

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

$183 €163

$268 €238

-31.79%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$21.74 €19.34

-37.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$48.06 €42.75

-31.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$29.68 €26.40

84.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$23.66 €21.04

-30.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.93 €14.17

-29.50%

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

$954 €849

$1,222 €1,087

-21.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$7,960 €7,081

108.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$94.1 €83.7

-8.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$44.61 €39.68

-12.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$93.0 €82.7

11.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$125 €111

-5.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,300 €1,156

30.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$836 €743

52.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,399 €2,134

7.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,867 €1,660

2.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,317 €4,729

36.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$4,422 €3,934

13.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,639 €2,348

-15.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.2

-21.90%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Hengelo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Hengelo

$836 38.3% 34.5% $440

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Hengelo

$323 14.8% 0.6% $2

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Hengelo

$340 15.6% 26.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Hengelo

$338 15.5% 47.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Hengelo

$160 7.3% 2.6% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Hengelo

$62 2.8% 20.2% $16

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Hengelo

$127 5.8% 169% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,300 in Hengelo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hengelo pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $83.0 in Hengelo. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $323, with Hengelo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Hengelo

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

81,140

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Hengelo 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hengelo

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 Hengelo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Hengelo differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,186 including rent). Hengelo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Hengelo. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,300 in Hengelo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,222 in Hengelo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,186 in Hengelo versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hengelo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Hengelo 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 Hengelo 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 Hengelo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.