Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Middelburg, Netherlands

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $2,318 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Middelburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,318 in Middelburg.

Barcelona $2,453
Middelburg $2,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,367 in Middelburg.

Barcelona $3,509
Middelburg $3,367

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,417 in Middelburg.

Barcelona $4,564
Middelburg $4,417

Living in Barcelona is roughly 6% more expensive than in Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Middelburg 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$13.41 €12.02

31.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$89.0 €79.8

-24.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.13 €10.87

11.54%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.06 €3.64

-21.43%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.41 €3.05

-14.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.31 €2.97

-42.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.99 €6.26

-42.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.78 €6.08

-33.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.34 €1.20

-2.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.27 €2.04

-11.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.98 €1.77

-6.57%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.62 €4.14

4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$12.23 €10.96

36.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.02 €11.67

-29.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$19.20 €17.21

2.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.57 €2.30

15.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.19 €1.96

-7.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.03 €1.82

33.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.68 €3.30

-23.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.32 €1.18

58.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.14 €1.02

81.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.15 €1.03

26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.95 €0.85

-1.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$11.86 €10.63

-42.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.03 €5.40

30.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.34 €1.20

5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.88 €1.69

35.11%

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

$4.72 €4.23

-36.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.33 €2.99

-55.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$33.38 €29.91

-0.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.33 €2.09

-22.75%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$41.5K €37.2K

-20.03%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$38.8K €34.7K

-18.20%

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

$180 €162

$148 €133

21.88%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$28.05 €25.13

-50.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$54.3 €48.69

-37.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$44.51 €39.88

15.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$14.17 €12.70

12.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$9.92 €8.89

10.79%

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

$917 €821

$2,582 €2,314

-64.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.9K €10.6K

38.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$95.7 €85.8

-9.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$43.25 €38.76

-10.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$105 €94.3

0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$135 €121

-11.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,418 €1,271

19.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,244 €1,115

8.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,001 €1,793

30.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,864 €1,670

10.63%

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

$4,144 €3,714

-46.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.4

-3.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Middelburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.7% 8.2% $112

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Middelburg

$319 13.8% 0.8% $2.6

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Middelburg

$268 11.6% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Middelburg

$230 9.9% 1.1% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Middelburg

$171 7.4% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Middelburg

$64 2.8% 12.4% $9.2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Middelburg

$21 * 0.9% 55.9% $27

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 $1,418 in Middelburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays 87% 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 $89 in Middelburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $319, with Middelburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

40,345

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Middelburg 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Middelburg

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 Middelburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,318 in Middelburg, so Middelburg is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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 $1,418 in Middelburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,582 in Middelburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $2,318 in Middelburg – Middelburg is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Middelburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.