Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Hilversum

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,915 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
Learn more

Hilversum Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Hilversum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,915 in Hilversum.

Barcelona $2,453
Hilversum $2,915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,247 in Hilversum.

Barcelona $3,509
Hilversum $4,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,579 in Hilversum.

Barcelona $4,564
Hilversum $5,579

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 16% less than in Hilversum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Hilversum 114% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$28.34 €25.46

-37.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$77.5 €69.6

-12.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$17.08 €15.34

-20.78%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$4.29 €3.85

-25.64%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$4.02 €3.61

-27.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.00 €2.69

-37.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.48 €4.92

-26.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.61 €5.04

-19.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.68 €1.51

-22.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.19 €1.97

-7.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.10 €2.78

-40.32%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$5.06 €4.54

-4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$13.89 €12.48

20.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$14.50 €13.02

-37.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$16.70 €15.01

17.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.45 €2.20

21.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.77 €2.49

-27.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.02 €1.82

33.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.44 €3.99

-36.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.78 €1.59

17.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.01 €1.80

2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.50 €1.35

-2.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.11 €1.00

-15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$12.17 €10.93

-43.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$6.72 €6.04

17.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.43 €1.28

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.60 €2.33

-2.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.61 €3.24

-13.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$67.8 €60.9

-62.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$5.57 €5.01

-46.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.42 €3.07

-56.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$22.70 €20.39

47.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.46 €2.21

-26.83%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$41.9K €37.7K

-20.87%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$42.2K €37.9K

-24.83%

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

$180 €162

$262 €235

-31.05%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$29.44 €26.44

-52.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$63.6 €57.2

-47.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$67.5 €60.6

-23.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$34.64 €31.12

-53.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$16.51 €14.83

-33.43%

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

$917 €823

$700 €628

31.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$15.5K €14.0K

6.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$112 €101

-22.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$47.96 €43.08

-19.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$92.2 €82.8

14.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$145 €131

-17.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,667 €1,497

1.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,430 €1,285

-5.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,731 €2,453

-4.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$2,323 €2,087

-11.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$6,907 €6,205

0.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$5,239 €4,706

-2.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$4,008 €3,601

-44.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.3

-23.72%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hilversum: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1% 5.5% $75

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Hilversum

$349 12% 8.5% $27

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Hilversum

$396 13.6% 47.9% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Hilversum

$355 12.2% 55.6% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Hilversum

$179 6.1% 13.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Hilversum

$101 3.5% 36.7% $27

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Hilversum

$105 3.6% 117% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,667 in Hilversum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hilversum pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $77 in Hilversum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $349 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

93,345

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Hilversum 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Hilversum

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 Hilversum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,915 in Hilversum, so Barcelona is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,667 in Hilversum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $700 in Hilversum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Hilversum. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Hilversum are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Hilversum on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.