Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Paks

For one person, living is cheaper in Paks: $1,143 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Paks
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Paks Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Paks

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Paks

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,143 in Paks.

Barcelona $2,443
Paks $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $1,717 in Paks.

Barcelona $3,519
Paks $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $2,291 in Paks.

Barcelona $4,595
Paks $2,291

Living in Barcelona is roughly 114% more expensive than in Paks, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Paks is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.79

$8.59 Ft 2,799

105.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$30.02 Ft 9,787

124.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.17

$7.22 Ft 2,354

88.50%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$0.86 Ft 282

260.47%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$1.14 Ft 372

163.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.83 Ft 269

132.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.44

$1.18 Ft 386

225.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$1.92 Ft 626

127.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.15 Ft 376

8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$0.60 Ft 194

253.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.41 Ft 787

-18.26%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.26

$3.32 Ft 1,081

43.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.26

$10.84 Ft 3,534

57.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.01

$6.03 Ft 1,966

48.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.46

$13.72 Ft 4,471

50.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.83

$1.83 Ft 598

72.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.01 Ft 656

-1.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.09 Ft 681

26.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$3.99 Ft 1,302

-27.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.58 Ft 188

255.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.53 Ft 173

311.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.56 Ft 509

-1.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.47 Ft 154

106.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.23

$7.69 Ft 2,507

-9.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$6.23 Ft 2,030

26.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.27 Ft 413

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.62 Ft 529

66.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$1.23 Ft 402

169.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.90

$26.53 Ft 8,649

-3.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.76

$3.08 Ft 1,006

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.51 Ft 491

-1.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.40

$17.94 Ft 5,847

83.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.88 Ft 613

-0.53%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$32.1K Ft 10.5M

2.64%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$36.2K Ft 11.8M

-11.74%

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

$183 €164

$135 Ft 43.9K

35.91%

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

$14.24 €12.73

$10.17 Ft 3,315

40.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.91

$12.02 Ft 3,919

187.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.98

$50.7 Ft 16.5K

1.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.65

$18.16 Ft 5,919

-9.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.89

$7.45 Ft 2,430

48.46%

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

$944 €844

$250 Ft 81.6K

277.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$7,542 Ft 2.5M

195.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.4

$89.9 Ft 29.3K

-2.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.67

$13.75 Ft 4,481

181.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$96.8 Ft 31.6K

7.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$108 Ft 35.1K

9.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,517

$534 Ft 173.9K

218.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,195

$391 Ft 127.3K

242.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,407

$746 Ft 243.2K

260.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,857

$646 Ft 210.5K

221.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,398

$3,203 Ft 1.0M

123.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,542

$2,439 Ft 795.2K

108.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,004

$1,287 Ft 419.4K

74.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

8.25

-61.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Paks: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Paks

$391 34.2% 70.8% $946

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Paks

$231 20.2% 29.6% $97

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Paks

$118 10.4% 55.7% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Paks

$157 13.7% 32.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Paks

$139 12.1% 11.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Paks

$66 5.7% 10.8% $7.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Paks

$42 3.7% 14.7% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $534 in Paks. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 74% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $30 in Paks for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $231 per month, with Paks cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇺 Paks

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

17,917

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Paks 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Paks

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 Paks: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,143 in Paks, so Paks is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 74% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $534 in Paks. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $250 in Paks. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,143 in Paks versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Paks but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Paks the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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