Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Passau

For one person, living is cheaper in Passau: $1,543 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Passau
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Passau Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Passau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Passau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,543 in Passau.

Barcelona $2,381
Passau $1,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,586 in Passau.

Barcelona $3,406
Passau $2,586

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,630 in Passau.

Barcelona $4,431
Passau $3,630

Living in Barcelona is roughly 54% more expensive than in Passau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Passau 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$16.62 €14.79

7.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$61.2 €54.4

8.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.69 €10.40

17.11%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.96 €3.52

-22.73%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.74 €3.33

-17.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$3.13 €2.78

-38.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.34 €3.86

-10.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.08 €4.52

-9.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.13 €1.00

15.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.10 €1.86

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.26 €2.90

-43.87%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.77 €3.35

22.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$14.17 €12.60

22.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$16.72 €14.87

-44.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$20.75 €18.45

-4.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.77 €2.46

8.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.73 €1.54

17.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.15 €1.91

23.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.54 €4.04

-36.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.51 €1.34

43.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.60 €1.43

34.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.74 €1.55

-15.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.06 €0.94

-16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$8.94 €7.95

-22.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.54 €4.93

41.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.99 €0.88

40.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.75 €1.56

50.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.82 €2.50

3.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$65.6 €58.3

-61.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.49 €3.99

-33.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.40 €2.14

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$40.07 €35.65

-17.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.94 €1.73

-4.12%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$32.8K €29.1K

-1.31%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

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

$183 €163

$271 €241

-32.65%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$16.65 €14.81

-18.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$53.6 €47.71

-38.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$12.39 €11.02

-9.36%

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

$954 €849

$675 €601

41.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$19.4K €17.3K

-14.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$669 €595

153.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$457 €407

179.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,714 €1,525

50.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,340 €1,192

43.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,524 €3,135

-36.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.98

-17.59%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Passau: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Passau

$457 29.6% 64.2% $819

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Passau

$351 22.8% 8% $26

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Passau

$275 17.8% 2% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Passau

$342 22.1% 49% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Passau

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Passau

$25 * 1.6% 67.9% $52

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Passau

$93 6.1% 97.2% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $669 in Passau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Passau pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $61.0 in Passau. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $351, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Passau

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

54,401

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Passau 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Passau

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 Passau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Passau differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,543 including rent). Passau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Passau. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $669 in Passau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $675 in Passau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,543 in Passau versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Passau but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Passau 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 Passau are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Passau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.