Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ludvika

For one person, living is cheaper in Ludvika: $1,567 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Ludvika
Learn more

Ludvika Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Ludvika

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ludvika

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,567 in Ludvika.

Barcelona $2,453
Ludvika $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,609 in Ludvika.

Barcelona $3,509
Ludvika $2,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,650 in Ludvika.

Barcelona $4,564
Ludvika $3,650

Living in Barcelona is roughly 57% more expensive than in Ludvika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Ludvika 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$13.68 SEK 134

28.58%

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

$9.96 SEK 97.8

35.84%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.43 SEK 43.53

-27.99%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.70 SEK 26.54

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.15 SEK 21.15

-12.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.17 SEK 70.4

-44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.11 SEK 69.8

-36.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.71 SEK 16.76

-23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.56 SEK 25.18

-21.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.83 SEK 37.62

-51.70%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.08 SEK 49.91

-4.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.69 SEK 134

22.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.44 SEK 132

-32.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$27.55 SEK 271

-28.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.20 SEK 31.43

-6.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.33 SEK 32.68

-39.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.54 SEK 34.77

-23.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.17 SEK 40.91

-32.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.50 SEK 14.76

39.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.74 SEK 17.06

18.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.28 SEK 22.39

-35.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.52 SEK 14.95

-38.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.14 SEK 70.2

-3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$9.88 SEK 97.1

-20.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.98 SEK 19.45

-28.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.31 SEK 22.64

9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$13.32 SEK 131

-77.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.05 SEK 20.18

-27.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$80.7 SEK 792

-58.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.71 SEK 16.78

5.26%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.7K SEK 331.2K

-1.58%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.3K SEK 327.0K

-4.80%

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

$180 €162

$100 SEK 985

79.82%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$20.19 SEK 198

-31.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$46.79 SEK 459

-27.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$29.56 SEK 290

74.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$49.43 SEK 485

-67.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$17.23 SEK 169

-36.22%

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

$917 €821

$222 SEK 2,180

312.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$98.9 SEK 971

-11.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$52.8 SEK 519

-27.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$96.1 SEK 943

10.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$218 SEK 2,137

-44.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$455 SEK 4,469

273.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$431 SEK 4,229

214.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$946 SEK 9,292

175.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$963 SEK 9,459

114.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,637 SEK 35.7K

-39.21%

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 Ludvika: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Ludvika

$431 27.5% 68.2% $925

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Ludvika

$410 26.2% 27.4% $88

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Ludvika

$262 16.7% 2.2% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Ludvika

$167 10.7% 26.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Ludvika

$209 13.4% 32.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ludvika

$64 4.1% 12.9% $9.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Ludvika

$24 * 1.5% 51.3% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $455 in Ludvika. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ludvika pays 65% 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 Ludvika. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $410, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇪 Ludvika

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

26,343

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Ludvika 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ludvika

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 Ludvika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,567 in Ludvika, so Ludvika is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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 $455 in Ludvika. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $222 in Ludvika. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ludvika – a meal for two runs $65 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ludvika 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.