Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ostersund

For one person, living is cheaper in Ostersund: $1,761 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Ostersund
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Ostersund Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Ostersund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ostersund

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,761 in Ostersund.

Barcelona $2,443
Ostersund $1,761

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,732 in Ostersund.

Barcelona $3,519
Ostersund $2,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,703 in Ostersund.

Barcelona $4,595
Ostersund $3,703

Living in Barcelona is roughly 39% more expensive than in Ostersund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Ostersund 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.72

$14.51 SEK 142

21.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$68.6 SEK 673

-1.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$9.03 SEK 88.6

50.72%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$4.35 SEK 42.71

-28.74%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.57 SEK 25.21

16.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.03 SEK 19.89

-4.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$7.80 SEK 76.6

-50.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$7.36 SEK 72.3

-40.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.44 SEK 14.13

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.03 SEK 29.74

-30.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$4.78 SEK 46.89

-58.79%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$3.34 SEK 32.72

42.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.20

$13.80 SEK 135

23.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$11.78 SEK 116

-23.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.39

$15.72 SEK 154

31.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$4.30 SEK 42.22

-26.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.92 SEK 28.66

-32.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.53 SEK 34.64

-24.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$4.21 SEK 41.28

-31.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.61 SEK 15.78

27.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.61 SEK 15.84

35.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.33 SEK 22.86

-34.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.56 SEK 15.31

-37.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$7.70 SEK 75.6

-9.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$10.05 SEK 98.6

-21.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.15 SEK 21.08

-33.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.27 SEK 22.32

18.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$3.26 SEK 32.01

1.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.80

$76.3 SEK 748

-66.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$6.12 SEK 60.1

-49.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.69 SEK 16.57

-12.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.27

$60.8 SEK 596

-45.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.78 SEK 17.47

5.06%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$30.7K SEK 301.0K

7.46%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$36.5K SEK 358.0K

-12.46%

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

$183 €163

$118 SEK 1,154

55.45%

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

$14.24 €12.68

$23.84 SEK 234

-40.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.78

$39.29 SEK 385

-12.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.79

$37.62 SEK 369

36.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.59

$26.52 SEK 260

-38.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$15.13 SEK 148

-26.90%

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

$944 €840

$127 SEK 1,243

644.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$5,587 SEK 54.8K

298.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$93.2 SEK 915

-5.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.52

$42.48 SEK 417

-8.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$79.4 SEK 779

31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$142 SEK 1,395

-17.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,511

$812 SEK 7,971

108.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$610 SEK 5,987

119.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,397

$1,394 SEK 13.7K

93.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,849

$1,038 SEK 10.2K

100.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,371

$3,784 SEK 37.1K

89.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,522

$2,495 SEK 24.5K

103.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,996

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.38

-5.62%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ostersund: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Ostersund

$610 34.6% 54.4% $727

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Ostersund

$370 21% 13% $43

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Ostersund

$268 15.2% 0.2% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Ostersund

$181 10.3% 22% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Ostersund

$161 9.1% 2.5% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Ostersund

$68 3.9% 7.7% $5.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Ostersund

$104 5.9% 111% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $812 in Ostersund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $69 in Ostersund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $370 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇪 Ostersund

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

44,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Ostersund 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Ostersund

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 Ostersund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,761 in Ostersund, so Ostersund is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $2,642 in Ostersund 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $812 in Ostersund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $127 in Ostersund. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 12% 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 Ostersund are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.