Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Nijmegen

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,659 in Nijmegen, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Nijmegen despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Nijmegen
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Nijmegen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Nijmegen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Nijmegen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,659 in Nijmegen.

Barcelona $2,453
Nijmegen $2,659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,957 in Nijmegen.

Barcelona $3,509
Nijmegen $3,957

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,254 in Nijmegen.

Barcelona $4,564
Nijmegen $5,254

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 8% less than in Nijmegen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Nijmegen 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$27.61 €24.75

-36.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$100 €89.7

-32.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$14.66 €13.14

-7.71%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.25 €3.81

-24.94%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.75 €3.36

-22.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.58 €2.31

-26.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.72 €5.13

-29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.97 €5.35

-24.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.47 €1.32

-10.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.13 €1.91

-5.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.38 €2.13

-22.27%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.34 €4.79

-9.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.26 €11.88

26.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.94 €12.49

-34.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$16.76 €15.02

17.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.79 €2.50

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.47 €2.21

-18.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.12 €1.90

27.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.27 €4.73

-46.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.34 €2.10

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.28 €1.14

14.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.81 €0.72

16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$13.91 €12.47

-50.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.10 €6.36

11.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.52 €1.36

-7.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.64 €2.37

-3.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.37 €3.02

-6.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$140 €125

-81.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$4.04 €3.62

-25.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.24 €2.90

-54.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$44.88 €40.22

-25.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.36 €2.11

-23.73%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$41.3K €37.0K

-19.69%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$39.4K €35.3K

-19.55%

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

$180 €162

$286 €256

-36.93%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$22.86 €20.48

-39.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$42.72 €38.28

-21.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$32.15 €28.81

60.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$24.69 €22.12

-35.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.89 €14.24

-30.84%

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

$917 €821

$3,160 €2,831

-70.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

0.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$95.1 €85.3

-8.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$43.46 €38.95

-11.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$104 €93.3

1.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$169 €152

-29.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,638 €1,467

3.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,159 €1,039

16.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,663 €2,386

-2.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,863 €1,669

10.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$6,131 €5,494

12.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$4,428 €3,968

15.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,367 €3,017

-34.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-18.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nijmegen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Nijmegen

$1.2K 43.6% 14.4% $196

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Nijmegen

$343 12.9% 6.6% $21

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Nijmegen

$382 14.4% 42.5% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Nijmegen

$352 13.2% 54.2% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Nijmegen

$185 7% 17.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Nijmegen

$64 2.4% 13% $9.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Nijmegen

$174 6.5% 258% $125

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,638 in Nijmegen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nijmegen pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $100 in Nijmegen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $343 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Nijmegen

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

177,359

💱 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 Nijmegen 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Nijmegen

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 Nijmegen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,659 in Nijmegen, so Barcelona is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% 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 $1,638 in Nijmegen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $3,160 in Nijmegen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Nijmegen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Nijmegen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.