Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Mortsel

For one person, living is cheaper in Mortsel: $2,145 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Mortsel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,145 in Mortsel.

Barcelona $2,453
Mortsel $2,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,187 in Mortsel.

Barcelona $3,509
Mortsel $3,187

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,229 in Mortsel.

Barcelona $4,564
Mortsel $4,229

Living in Barcelona is roughly 14% more expensive than in Mortsel.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Mortsel 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.62 €20.27

-22.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$96.3 €86.3

-29.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.55 €12.14

-0.15%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.25 €3.81

-24.94%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.47 €3.11

-16.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.87 €2.57

-34.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.55 €4.97

-27.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.71 €5.11

-20.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.35 €1.21

-2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.88 €2.58

-29.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.23 €2.00

-17.04%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.94 €3.53

22.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$16.51 €14.79

1.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.10 €10.84

-24.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$22.81 €20.44

-13.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.80 €2.51

6.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.37 €2.12

-14.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.60 €2.33

3.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.85 €2.55

-1.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.18 €1.96

-4.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.85 €1.66

11.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.35 €1.21

8.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.10 €0.99

-14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$13.33 €11.94

-48.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.64 €7.74

-8.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.99 €1.78

-29.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.30 €2.06

10.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.03 €2.72

3.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$56.3 €50.4

-54.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.45 €4.88

-45.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.75 €2.47

-45.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$45.23 €40.53

-26.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.10 €1.89

-14.29%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$35.5K €31.8K

-6.50%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$36.4K €32.6K

-12.89%

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

$180 €162

$220 €197

-18.08%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$20.70 €18.55

-33.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$47.54 €42.60

-29.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$41.18 €36.90

25.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$20.40 €18.28

-21.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.81 €14.17

-30.49%

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

$917 €821

$569 €510

61.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$21.6K €19.3K

-23.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$114 €102

-23.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$47.83 €42.86

-19.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$107 €95.5

-0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$149 €133

-19.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$931 €834

82.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$813 €729

66.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,379 €1,236

88.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,145 €1,026

80.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,305 €3,857

60.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,739 €2,454

87.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,361 €2,115

-6.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.5

-6.29%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mortsel: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Mortsel

$813 37.9% 40% $542

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Mortsel

$359 16.7% 11.5% $37

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Mortsel

$337 15.7% 25.8% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Mortsel

$288 13.5% 26.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Mortsel

$187 8.7% 18.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Mortsel

$73 3.4% 1% $0.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Mortsel

$88 4.1% 80.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $931 in Mortsel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mortsel pays 7% 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 $96 in Mortsel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $359 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

24,525

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Mortsel 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Mortsel

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 Mortsel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,145 in Mortsel, so Mortsel is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% 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 $931 in Mortsel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $569 in Mortsel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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