Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mölndal

For one person, living is cheaper in Mölndal: $1,576 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona, Spain
Mölndal, Sweden
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,453
/mo nomad
Mölndal
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,576
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mölndal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,576 in Mölndal.

  • Barcelona $2,453
  • Mölndal $1,576

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,481 in Mölndal.

  • Barcelona $3,509
  • Mölndal $2,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,387 in Mölndal.

  • Barcelona $4,564
  • Mölndal $3,387

Living in Barcelona is roughly 56% more expensive than in Mölndal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Mölndal 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Mölndal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.76
$13.05 SEK 128
34.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.5
$70.0 SEK 688
-3.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$11.25 SEK 110
20.27%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.86
$4.94 SEK 48.50
-35.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$2.83 SEK 27.83
2.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$1.04 SEK 10.21
81.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$6.93 SEK 68.1
-42.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$6.01 SEK 59.0
-24.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Mölndal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.14 SEK 11.22
14.91%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.52 SEK 14.93
32.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$3.10 SEK 30.49
-40.32%
Eggs
$4.83 €4.33
$3.69 SEK 36.19
30.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.74 €15.00
$7.03 SEK 69.0
138.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 €8.17
$9.16 SEK 90.0
-0.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.64 €17.60
$16.87 SEK 166
16.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.67
$3.08 SEK 30.27
-3.25%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$2.40 SEK 23.56
-15.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.70 €2.42
$2.81 SEK 27.59
-3.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.80 €2.51
$4.33 SEK 42.54
-35.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$1.63 SEK 15.97
28.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$1.69 SEK 16.60
22.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.85 SEK 18.19
-21.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$1.20 SEK 11.74
-21.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.16
$6.98 SEK 68.6
-1.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 €7.07
$10.05 SEK 98.7
-21.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.98 SEK 19.41
-28.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 €2.27
$2.22 SEK 21.79
14.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Mölndal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.14 €2.82
$3.64 SEK 35.76
-13.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.45 €22.80
$85.6 SEK 841
-70.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 €2.68
$6.17 SEK 60.6
-51.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.34
$1.73 SEK 16.97
-13.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.37 €29.91
$59.6 SEK 586
-44.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.74 SEK 17.11
3.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K €29.7K
$33.2K SEK 326.4K
-0.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.4K
$34.2K SEK 336.1K
-7.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Mölndal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 €162
$42.50 SEK 417
324.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.84 €12.40
$10.11 SEK 99.3
36.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 €30.20
$20.15 SEK 198
67.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Mölndal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.5 €46.16
$39.70 SEK 390
29.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 €14.30
$28.47 SEK 280
-43.94%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 €9.85
$17.88 SEK 176
-38.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Mölndal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 €821
$224 SEK 2,204
308.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$4,439 SEK 43.6K
271.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Mölndal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €78.0
$90.5 SEK 888
-3.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.51 €34.51
$33.64 SEK 330
14.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.8
$71.7 SEK 704
47.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$133 SEK 1,306
-10.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Mölndal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,699 €1,523
$811 SEK 7,969
109.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 €1,214
$607 SEK 5,958
123.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,332
$1,359 SEK 13.3K
91.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 €1,848
$1,002 SEK 9,838
105.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,915 €6,196
$3,982 SEK 39.1K
73.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,128 €4,595
$2,828 SEK 27.8K
81.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Mölndal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,211 €1,981
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
3.06
7.19%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mölndal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.4K
Mölndal
$607 55.2% $749
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$322
Mölndal
$298 7.3% $23
Eating Out
Barcelona
$268
Mölndal
$260 3.1% $8.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$228
Mölndal
$73 68.1% $155
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Mölndal
$148 6.3% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$74
Mölndal
$75 2.7% $2
Getting Around
Barcelona
$48
Mölndal
$115 137% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $811 in Mölndal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $70 in Mölndal. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $298, with Mölndal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇸🇪 Mölndal
🕒 Local time
05:03 5:03 AM
05:03 5:03 AM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
60,000
💱 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 = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Mölndal 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Mölndal

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 Mölndal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Mölndal?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,576 in Mölndal, so Mölndal is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Mölndal?
You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $2,364 in Mölndal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Mölndal?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $811 in Mölndal. 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 Mölndal?
Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $224 in Mölndal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Mölndal is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Mölndal?
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 Mölndal safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Mölndal are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Barcelona vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?