Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Kassel

For one person, living is cheaper in Kassel: $1,912 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Kassel
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Kassel Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Kassel

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Kassel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,912 in Kassel.

Barcelona $2,453
Kassel $1,912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,822 in Kassel.

Barcelona $3,509
Kassel $2,822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,732 in Kassel.

Barcelona $4,564
Kassel $3,732

Living in Barcelona is roughly 28% more expensive than in Kassel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Kassel 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$14.62 €13.13

20.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$55.4 €49.79

21.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$12.14 €10.91

11.45%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.82 €3.43

-16.49%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.93 €3.53

-25.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.48 €2.23

-23.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.56 €4.99

-27.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.54 €4.08

-0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.28 €1.15

2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.07 €1.86

-2.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.30 €2.96

-43.94%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.55 €3.19

36.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$13.44 €12.07

24.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$10.85 €9.74

-15.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$24.96 €22.42

-21.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.29 €2.96

-9.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.15 €1.93

-6.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.32 €2.08

16.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.97 €4.47

-43.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.52 €1.36

37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.30 €1.17

59.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.76 €1.58

-17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.92 €0.83

2.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$9.36 €8.40

-26.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$6.07 €5.46

29.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.95 €0.85

48.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.53 €1.37

66.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.71 €3.33

-15.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$69.0 €62.0

-63.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$4.21 €3.78

-28.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.51 €2.25

-40.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$39.65 €35.62

-15.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.11 €1.90

-14.69%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$32.5K €29.2K

2.28%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$37.9K €34.1K

-16.46%

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

$180 €162

$402 €361

-55.11%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$41.28 €37.08

-66.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$51.5 €46.27

-34.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$35.64 €32.01

44.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$11.15 €10.02

43.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$13.36 €12.00

-17.74%

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

$917 €823

$364 €327

151.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.1K €14.4K

2.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$92.4 €83.0

-5.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$44.16 €39.67

-12.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$86.2 €77.4

22.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$111 €100.0

7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$649 €583

162.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$503 €452

169.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,083 €973

140.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$915 €822

125.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$4,725 €4,244

46.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,801 €2,516

83.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$2,574 €2,312

-14.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.95

-16.96%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kassel: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Kassel

$503 26.3% 62.9% $852

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Kassel

$339 17.7% 5.3% $17

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Kassel

$262 13.7% 2.3% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Kassel

$495 25.9% 117% $267

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Kassel

$150 7.9% 4.8% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Kassel

$62 3.3% 15.2% $11

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Kassel

$101 5.3% 108% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $649 in Kassel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kassel pays 16% 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 $55 in Kassel. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $339, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Kassel

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

204,021

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Kassel 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Kassel

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 Kassel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,912 in Kassel, so Kassel is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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 $649 in Kassel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $364 in Kassel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 5% 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 Kassel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.