Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Olsztyn

For one person, living is cheaper in Olsztyn: $1,690 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Olsztyn
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Olsztyn Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Olsztyn

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Olsztyn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,690 in Olsztyn.

Barcelona $2,453
Olsztyn $1,690

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,444 in Olsztyn.

Barcelona $3,509
Olsztyn $2,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,199 in Olsztyn.

Barcelona $4,564
Olsztyn $3,199

Living in Barcelona is roughly 45% more expensive than in Olsztyn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Olsztyn 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$12.81 zł 50.7

37.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$50.3 zł 199

34.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$9.13 zł 36.15

48.19%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.45 zł 13.64

-7.54%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.41 zł 9.53

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.88 zł 7.42

0.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.01 zł 11.90

33.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$3.90 zł 15.42

16.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.02 zł 4.04

28.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.31 zł 5.20

54.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.42 zł 5.62

30.28%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.88 zł 15.37

24.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$9.58 zł 37.90

74.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$7.22 zł 28.55

26.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$14.69 zł 58.2

33.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$1.18 zł 4.69

152.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.60 zł 6.33

26.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.86 zł 7.37

45.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.50 zł 13.86

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.93 zł 3.70

124.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.17 zł 4.63

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.34 zł 5.31

8.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.72 zł 2.85

30.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$5.59 zł 22.13

22.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$7.56 zł 29.91

4.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.12 zł 4.44

25.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.49 zł 5.90

70.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.00 zł 3.95

214.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$25.14 zł 99.5

1.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.09 zł 8.25

43.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.73 zł 2.87

104.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$10.32 zł 40.84

223.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.57 zł 6.23

14.65%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$30.6K zł 121.0K

8.58%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$29.5K zł 116.7K

7.46%

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

$180 €162

$330 zł 1,307

-45.39%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$9.68 zł 38.29

42.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$19.33 zł 76.5

74.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$44.06 zł 174

16.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$22.35 zł 88.4

-28.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$8.95 zł 35.43

22.79%

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

$917 €823

$383 zł 1,517

139.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$13.9K zł 55.0K

18.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$99.4 zł 393

-12.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$48.99 zł 194

-21.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$102 zł 404

3.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$102 zł 406

16.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$806 zł 3,188

110.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$627 zł 2,481

116.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,290 zł 5,103

101.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,024 zł 4,053

101.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,592 zł 14.2K

92.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,440 zł 9,657

110.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,395 zł 5,522

58.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

7.52

-56.38%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Olsztyn: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Olsztyn

$627 37.1% 53.7% $728

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Olsztyn

$237 14% 26.4% $85

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Olsztyn

$211 12.5% 21.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Olsztyn

$359 21.3% 57.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Olsztyn

$159 9.4% 0.5% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Olsztyn

$62 3.7% 15.7% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Olsztyn

$35 2.1% 28.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $806 in Olsztyn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 58% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $50 in Olsztyn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $237 per month, with Olsztyn cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇱 Olsztyn

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

174,675

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Olsztyn 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Olsztyn

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 Olsztyn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Olsztyn differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $1,690 including rent). Olsztyn is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $806 in Olsztyn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $383 in Olsztyn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Olsztyn – a meal for two runs $50 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Olsztyn are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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