Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Linkoping

For one person, living is cheaper in Linkoping: $1,863 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona, Spain
Linkoping, Sweden
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Linkoping
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,863
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Linkoping

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,863 in Linkoping.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Linkoping $1,863

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,877 in Linkoping.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Linkoping $2,877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,892 in Linkoping.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Linkoping $3,892

Living in Barcelona is roughly 32% more expensive than in Linkoping, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Linkoping 37% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Linkoping
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.76
$13.42 SEK 132
31.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.5
$64.9 SEK 637
3.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$9.93 SEK 97.5
36.25%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.86
$4.23 SEK 41.58
-24.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$2.55 SEK 25.06
14.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$2.25 SEK 22.10
-16.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$6.88 SEK 67.6
-41.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$6.94 SEK 68.2
-34.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Linkoping
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.72 SEK 16.92
-23.84%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$2.79 SEK 27.42
-27.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$3.24 SEK 31.78
-42.90%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.33
$3.98 SEK 39.05
21.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.00
$11.48 SEK 113
45.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.17
$11.63 SEK 114
-21.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.60
$16.50 SEK 162
19.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$3.01 SEK 29.55
-1.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$2.52 SEK 24.75
-19.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.42
$2.03 SEK 19.89
33.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.51
$4.43 SEK 43.52
-36.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$1.50 SEK 14.72
39.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$1.61 SEK 15.76
28.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$2.03 SEK 19.93
-28.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$1.66 SEK 16.33
-43.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.16
$7.04 SEK 69.1
-2.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.07
$10.16 SEK 99.8
-22.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.91 SEK 18.73
-26.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.27
$2.26 SEK 22.22
12.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Linkoping
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$3.37 SEK 33.09
-6.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.80
$77.0 SEK 756
-66.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.68
$6.09 SEK 59.8
-50.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$1.66 SEK 16.27
-10.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.91
$58.4 SEK 574
-42.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.69 SEK 16.62
6.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.7K
$32.7K SEK 321.2K
1.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.4K
$33.7K SEK 330.6K
-5.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Linkoping
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$104 SEK 1,017
74.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.40
$19.71 SEK 194
-29.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.20
$33.65 SEK 330
0.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Linkoping
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.16
$35.52 SEK 349
45.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.30
$33.10 SEK 325
-51.78%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.85
$17.25 SEK 169
-36.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Linkoping
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €821
$221 SEK 2,168
315.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$4,338 SEK 42.6K
279.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Linkoping
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.0
$87.5 SEK 859
-0.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.51
$33.32 SEK 327
15.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.8
$86.7 SEK 851
22.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$132 SEK 1,292
-9.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Linkoping
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,523
$817 SEK 8,022
108.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,214
$776 SEK 7,620
74.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,332
$1,452 SEK 14.3K
79.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,848
$1,355 SEK 13.3K
52.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,196
$3,950 SEK 38.8K
75.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,595
$2,879 SEK 28.3K
78.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Linkoping
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,981
$2,643 SEK 25.9K
-16.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
2.8
17.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Linkoping: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Linkoping
$776 42.7% $579
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Linkoping
$347 7.7% $25
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Linkoping
$256 4.6% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Linkoping
$157 31.2% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Linkoping
$153 3.4% $5.4
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Linkoping
$70 4.7% $3.5
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Linkoping
$105 116% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $817 in Linkoping. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Linkoping pays 20% 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 $65 in Linkoping. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $347, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇸🇪 Linkoping
🕒 Local time
13:33 1:33 PM
13:33 1:33 PM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
115,682
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Linkoping 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Linkoping

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 Linkoping: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Linkoping?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,863 in Linkoping, so Linkoping is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 16% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Linkoping?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $817 in Linkoping. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Linkoping?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $221 in Linkoping. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Linkoping?
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.
Is Barcelona or Linkoping safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Linkoping are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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