Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Krefeld

For one person, living is cheaper in Krefeld: $1,920 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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 Krefeld
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Krefeld Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Krefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Krefeld

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,920 in Krefeld.

Barcelona $2,453
Krefeld $1,920

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,931 in Krefeld.

Barcelona $3,509
Krefeld $2,931

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,941 in Krefeld.

Barcelona $4,564
Krefeld $3,941

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Krefeld 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$16.96 €15.13

3.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$71.3 €63.6

-5.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$12.82 €11.44

5.54%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$3.98 €3.55

-19.85%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$3.66 €3.27

-20.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$3.23 €2.88

-41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$5.76 €5.13

-30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$5.61 €5.01

-19.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.26 €1.13

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.06 €1.84

-1.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$3.63 €3.23

-49.04%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.64 €3.25

32.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$13.65 €12.18

22.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$11.98 €10.69

-23.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$23.19 €20.69

-15.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.12 €2.78

-4.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.01 €1.79

0.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.47 €2.20

9.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.26 €3.80

-34.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.41 €1.26

48.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.21 €1.08

71.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.69 €1.51

-13.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.05 €0.94

-10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$9.76 €8.71

-29.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$6.65 €5.93

18.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.07 €0.95

31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.53 €1.36

66.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$3.43 €3.06

-8.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$58.7 €52.4

-56.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$4.98 €4.44

-39.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.23 €1.99

-33.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$32.97 €29.41

1.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.29 €2.04

-21.40%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$32.9K €29.3K

0.97%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$38.3K €34.1K

-17.16%

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

$180 €161

$310 €276

-41.74%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$26.00 €23.20

-46.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$40.20 €35.86

-16.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$40.19 €35.86

28.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

$27.55 €24.58

-42.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$13.54 €12.08

-18.83%

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

$917 €818

$469 €418

95.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$21.7K €19.4K

-24.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$87.5 €78.0

-0.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$40.65 €36.27

-5.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$105 €93.9

0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$127 €114

-6.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$729 €650

133.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$598 €533

126.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$1,425 €1,272

82.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,096 €978

88.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$3,276 €2,922

111.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$4,505 €4,019

13.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$1,953 €1,743

13.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.96

-17.17%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Krefeld: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Krefeld

$598 31.1% 55.9% $758

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Krefeld

$339 17.7% 5.4% $17

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Krefeld

$289 15.1% 8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Krefeld

$376 19.6% 64.9% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Krefeld

$162 8.5% 2.8% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Krefeld

$67 3.5% 8.5% $6.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Krefeld

$89 4.6% 82.7% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $729 in Krefeld. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $71 in Krefeld for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $339 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Krefeld

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

222,058

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona Krefeld 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Krefeld

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 Krefeld: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,920 in Krefeld, so Krefeld is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $729 in Krefeld. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $469 in Krefeld. 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 Krefeld are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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