Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Leeuwarden

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,588 in Leeuwarden, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Leeuwarden despite lower rent and utilities.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Leeuwarden
Learn more

Leeuwarden Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Leeuwarden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,588

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Leeuwarden

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,588 in Leeuwarden.

Barcelona $2,381
Leeuwarden $2,588

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,825 in Leeuwarden.

Barcelona $3,406
Leeuwarden $3,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $5,063 in Leeuwarden.

Barcelona $4,431
Leeuwarden $5,063

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 8% less than in Leeuwarden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Leeuwarden 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$22.50 €20.01

-20.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$112 €99.2

-40.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$15.61 €13.88

-12.30%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.86 €3.44

-20.73%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.73 €3.32

-17.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.86 €2.54

-32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.88 €6.12

-43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.35 €4.75

-13.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.16 €1.03

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.92 €1.71

9.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.44 €2.17

-25.00%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.37 €3.89

5.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$12.73 €11.32

36.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$14.38 €12.79

-35.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$16.29 €14.49

21.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.32 €2.07

29.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.40 €2.13

-15.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.85 €1.65

43.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$5.25 €4.67

-45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.72 €1.53

25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.93 €1.72

11.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.21 €1.08

21.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.91 €0.81

-3.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$14.20 €12.63

-51.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$7.02 €6.24

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.88 €1.67

-26.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.69 €1.50

55.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.29 €2.92

-11.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$127 €113

-79.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$8.78 €7.81

-65.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.98 €3.54

-63.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$51.0 €45.38

-34.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.41 €2.15

-22.82%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$41.7K €37.1K

-22.36%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$39.0K €34.7K

-18.67%

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

$183 €163

$369 €328

-50.50%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$43.01 €38.26

-68.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$45.83 €40.77

-28.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$37.73 €33.56

44.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$19.00 €16.90

-13.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$16.54 €14.71

-32.10%

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

$954 €849

$1,353 €1,204

-29.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$22.5K €20.0K

-26.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$114 €102

-24.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$39.18 €34.85

-0.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$130 €116

-20.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$136 €121

-12.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,351 €1,202

25.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,028 €915

24.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$3,851 €3,425

-33.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,612 €1,434

19.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$3,638 €3,236

100.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,248 €2,889

54.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,989 €2,658

-25.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.38

-25.11%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Leeuwarden: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Leeuwarden

$1K 39.7% 19.4% $248

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Leeuwarden

$328 12.7% 1% $3.2

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Leeuwarden

$345 13.3% 27.9% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Leeuwarden

$458 17.7% 99.8% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Leeuwarden

$189 7.3% 20.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Leeuwarden

$71 2.7% 8.2% $6.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Leeuwarden

$169 6.5% 257% $122

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,351 in Leeuwarden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leeuwarden pays 34% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $112 in Leeuwarden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Leeuwarden

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

91,992

💱 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 Leeuwarden 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Leeuwarden

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 Leeuwarden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Leeuwarden differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,588 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Leeuwarden. 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 $1,351 in Leeuwarden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,353 in Leeuwarden. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Leeuwarden 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Leeuwarden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.