Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Plzen

For one person, living is cheaper in Plzen: $1,758 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Plzen
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Plzen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Plzen

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Plzen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,758 in Plzen.

Barcelona $2,399
Plzen $1,758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,442 in Plzen.

Barcelona $3,410
Plzen $2,442

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,126 in Plzen.

Barcelona $4,421
Plzen $3,126

Living in Barcelona is roughly 36% more expensive than in Plzen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Plzen 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$11.55 Kč 250

55.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$50.1 Kč 1,084

35.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$8.94 Kč 193

48.55%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$3.03 Kč 65.5

7.26%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.99 Kč 42.93

51.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.78 Kč 38.52

5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$2.71 Kč 58.7

42.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.80 Kč 60.5

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.13 Kč 24.43

14.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.59 Kč 34.43

28.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.98 Kč 64.3

-42.28%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.84 Kč 83.0

24.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.58 Kč 294

23.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$10.06 Kč 218

-11.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$16.19 Kč 350

22.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.18 Kč 47.23

36.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.86 Kč 40.22

9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.19 Kč 47.39

24.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.54 Kč 76.7

-24.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.21 Kč 26.13

73.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.21 Kč 26.15

71.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.63 Kč 35.32

-11.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.76 Kč 16.54

17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$6.90 Kč 149

0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$6.70 Kč 145

16.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.40 Kč 30.31

3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.73 Kč 37.31

48.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.29 Kč 27.91

131.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$27.05 Kč 585

-6.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.11 Kč 45.54

47.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.38 Kč 29.94

4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$13.80 Kč 298

142.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.87 Kč 40.39

-4.28%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$30.2K Kč 652.8K

14.72%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$29.4K Kč 635.7K

2.29%

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

$178 €158

$276 Kč 5,973

-35.60%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$17.19 Kč 372

-22.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$15.98 Kč 346

118.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$59.5 Kč 1,286

-10.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$14.43 Kč 312

10.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$11.29 Kč 244

-2.04%

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

$957 €851

$331 Kč 7,165

188.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$10.9K Kč 236.1K

51.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$78.9 Kč 1,706

11.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$42.82 Kč 926

-7.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$86.1 Kč 1,863

19.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$110 Kč 2,371

10.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$720 Kč 15.6K

129.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$704 Kč 15.2K

84.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$928 Kč 20.1K

175.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$908 Kč 19.6K

110.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$5,061 Kč 109.5K

43.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$4,070 Kč 88.0K

24.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,905 Kč 41.2K

19.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.8

-31.67%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Plzen: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Plzen

$704 40.1% 45.9% $597

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Plzen

$288 16.4% 10% $32

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Plzen

$190 10.8% 29.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Plzen

$309 17.6% 36.8% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Plzen

$143 8.1% 9.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Plzen

$82 4.7% 8.8% $6.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Plzen

$41 2.4% 13.1% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $720 in Plzen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 20% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $50.0 in Plzen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $288 per month, with Plzen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇿 Plzen

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

168,951

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Plzen 1,270 km ≈ 2 h 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 Plzen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Plzen differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,758 including rent). Plzen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $720 in Plzen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $331 in Plzen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,758 in Plzen versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Plzen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Plzen 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 Plzen 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 Plzen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.