Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Karlstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlstad: $1,727 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Karlstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,727 in Karlstad.

Barcelona $2,453
Karlstad $1,727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,665 in Karlstad.

Barcelona $3,509
Karlstad $2,665

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,603 in Karlstad.

Barcelona $4,564
Karlstad $3,603

Living in Barcelona is roughly 42% more expensive than in Karlstad.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Karlstad 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$15.14 SEK 149

16.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$80.5 SEK 790

-16.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$10.07 SEK 98.9

34.36%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.86 SEK 47.68

-34.36%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.45 SEK 24.01

18.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.16 SEK 21.25

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$8.08 SEK 79.3

-50.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.60 SEK 64.7

-31.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.45 SEK 14.22

-9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.83 SEK 27.80

-28.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.68 SEK 36.14

-49.73%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.37 SEK 42.85

10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$10.17 SEK 99.8

64.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.96 SEK 137

-34.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$17.73 SEK 174

10.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.95 SEK 28.91

1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.68 SEK 26.35

-24.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.03 SEK 29.71

-10.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.40 SEK 53.0

-48.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.92 SEK 18.80

8.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.72 SEK 16.84

20.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.64 SEK 25.87

-44.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.30 SEK 12.74

-27.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$6.96 SEK 68.3

-1.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$10.17 SEK 99.8

-22.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.42 SEK 23.79

-41.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.04 SEK 19.98

24.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.13 SEK 30.70

0.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$80.4 SEK 789

-68.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.46 SEK 53.6

-45.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.29 SEK 12.67

15.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$60.4 SEK 592

-44.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.72 SEK 16.90

4.65%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$32.6K SEK 320.4K

1.67%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.8K SEK 331.2K

-6.08%

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

$180 €162

$99.4 SEK 975

81.54%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$15.73 SEK 154

-12.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$43.76 SEK 429

-22.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$45.27 SEK 444

13.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$16.66 SEK 163

-4.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$14.08 SEK 138

-21.95%

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

$917 €821

$126 SEK 1,236

627.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$106 SEK 1,037

-17.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$39.85 SEK 391

-3.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$75.9 SEK 744

39.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$141 SEK 1,384

-15.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$868 SEK 8,518

95.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$575 SEK 5,638

135.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

119.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$867 SEK 8,504

137.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

79.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

84.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

-30.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.09

-19.80%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karlstad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Karlstad

$575 33.3% 57.6% $781

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Karlstad

$370 21.4% 15.1% $48

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Karlstad

$282 16.3% 5.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Karlstad

$159 9.2% 30.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Karlstad

$163 9.5% 3.3% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Karlstad

$73 4.3% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Karlstad

$105 6.1% 116% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $868 in Karlstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlstad pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $81 in Karlstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $370 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

62,797

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Karlstad 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Karlstad

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 Karlstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,727 in Karlstad, so Karlstad is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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 $868 in Karlstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $126 in Karlstad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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