Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Pecs

For one person, living is cheaper in Pecs: $1,372 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Pecs
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Pecs Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Pecs

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Pecs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,372 in Pecs.

Barcelona $2,453
Pecs $1,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,140 in Pecs.

Barcelona $3,509
Pecs $2,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,907 in Pecs.

Barcelona $4,564
Pecs $2,907

Living in Barcelona is roughly 79% more expensive than in Pecs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$11.24 Ft 3,707

56.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$61.8 Ft 20.4K

9.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$8.94 Ft 2,949

51.34%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.48 Ft 818

28.63%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.29 Ft 426

125.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.28 Ft 423

47.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$1.73 Ft 570

131.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$2.26 Ft 744

100.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.18 Ft 389

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.63 Ft 536

23.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.38 Ft 784

-22.27%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$3.21 Ft 1,058

50.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$10.08 Ft 3,323

66.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$6.78 Ft 2,235

34.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$16.27 Ft 5,363

20.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.35 Ft 774

26.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.22 Ft 732

-9.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.53 Ft 833

6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$3.99 Ft 1,315

-29.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.08 Ft 357

93.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.39 Ft 457

48.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.87 Ft 615

-21.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.58 Ft 192

62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$8.97 Ft 2,957

-23.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$4.60 Ft 1,518

71.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.36 Ft 449

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.61 Ft 860

-2.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.55 Ft 512

102.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$23.23 Ft 7,659

9.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.30 Ft 1,087

-9.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.44 Ft 473

3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$24.43 Ft 8,055

36.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.78 Ft 588

1.12%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$27.5K Ft 9.1M

20.50%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$35.9K Ft 11.8M

-11.60%

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

$180 €162

$168 Ft 55.3K

7.56%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$20.86 Ft 6,876

-33.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$20.93 Ft 6,901

61.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$50.4 Ft 16.6K

2.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$18.59 Ft 6,128

-14.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$8.58 Ft 2,827

28.09%

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

$917 €823

$420 Ft 138.4K

118.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,652 Ft 2.5M

115.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$99.3 Ft 32.7K

-12.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$51.0 Ft 16.8K

-24.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$96.9 Ft 32.0K

9.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$110 Ft 36.2K

9.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$635 Ft 209.3K

167.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$464 Ft 153.1K

191.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$1,133 Ft 373.7K

129.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$812 Ft 267.7K

153.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,152 Ft 1.0M

119.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,595 Ft 855.6K

97.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,079 Ft 355.7K

104.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-59.00%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pecs: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Pecs

$464 33.8% 65.7% $891

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Pecs

$260 19% 19.2% $62

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Pecs

$170 12.4% 36.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Pecs

$210 15.3% 8.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Pecs

$161 11.7% 1.7% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Pecs

$68 4.9% 8.1% $6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Pecs

$40 2.9% 17.6% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $635 in Pecs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $62 in Pecs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $260 per month, with Pecs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇺 Pecs

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

140,330

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Pecs 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Pecs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,372 in Pecs, so Pecs is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2 times higher, 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 $635 in Pecs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $420 in Pecs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Pecs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.