Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mechelen Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mechelen

🙂 Solo nomad: Barcelona is 25.4% cheaper than Mechelen without rent, and 12.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Barcelona is 16.4% cheaper than Mechelen without rent, and 7.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Mechelen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.41 €15.03
$23.26 €20.08
-25.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.7 €59.3
$114 €98.7
-39.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.71 €11.84
$12.79 €11.04
7.19%
Cappuccino
$2.78 €2.4
$4.06 €3.51
-31.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.8 €2.42
$3.32 €2.87
-15.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$3.14 €2.71
-36.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 €3.83
$5.72 €4.94
-22.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €3.91
$4.58 €3.96
-1.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Mechelen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 €1.07
$1.31 €1.13
-5.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 €1.75
$2.67 €2.31
-23.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 €1.71
$2.35 €2.03
-15.74%
Eggs
$3.46 €2.99
$3.98 €3.44
-13.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.32 €15.82
$17.5 €15.11
4.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.82 €8.47
$11.94 €10.31
-17.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.24 €16.61
$19.02 €16.42
1.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.25
$3 €2.59
-13.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 €2.02
$2.37 €2.04
-1.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 €1.82
$2.28 €1.96
-7.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.39
$3.02 €2.61
-8.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 €1.76
$1.91 €1.65
6.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$2.16 €1.86
-18.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 €1.3
$1.33 €1.15
12.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.73
$0.81 €0.7
4.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7 €6.04
$12.69 €10.95
-44.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.13 €6.16
$9.22 €7.96
-22.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.24
$1.83 €1.58
-21.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €1.98
$2.36 €2.04
-2.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Mechelen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 €2.6
$3.16 €2.73
-4.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.97 €25.01
$55.9 €48.29
-48.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 €3.96
$5.9 €5.1
-22.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 €1.74
$2.46 €2.13
-17.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.56 €25.53
$45.87 €39.6
-35.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 €1.56
$1.84 €1.59
-1.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K €33.1K
$33.7K €29.1K
13.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K €28K
$33.1K €28.6K
-2.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Mechelen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 €164
$207 €179
-8.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.18 €19.15
$24.98 €21.57
-11.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.37 €31.4
$50.5 €43.63
-28.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Mechelen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €49.55
$31.39 €27.1
82.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.95 €18.09
$13.71 €11.83
52.81%
Cinema Ticket
$10.8 €9.33
$15.09 €13.03
-28.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Mechelen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$732 €632
$582 €502
25.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.1K €13.1K
$13.4K €11.6K
12.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Mechelen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.8 €74.9
$111 €95.4
-21.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.78 €31.76
$51.1 €44.11
-28.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €88.2
$106 €91.6
-3.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €101
$160 €139
-27.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Mechelen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 €1,365
$893 €771
77.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 €1,062
$746 €644
64.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,707 €2,337
$1,373 €1,185
97.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 €1,751
$1,119 €966
81.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,602 €5,700
$3,463 €2,990
90.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,045 €4,356
$2,925 €2,526
72.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Mechelen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,198 €1,898
$2,397 €2,070
-8.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.39
3.27
3.67%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Last update for Mechelen: October 28, 2025

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