Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Rijswijk

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,594 in Rijswijk, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Rijswijk
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Rijswijk Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Rijswijk

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Rijswijk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,594 in Rijswijk.

Barcelona $2,399
Rijswijk $2,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,483 in Rijswijk.

Barcelona $3,410
Rijswijk $3,483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,371 in Rijswijk.

Barcelona $4,421
Rijswijk $4,371

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 8% less than in Rijswijk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Rijswijk 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$22.18 €19.73

-19.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$76.6 €68.1

-11.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$8.77 €7.80

51.43%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$3.55 €3.16

-8.45%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.29 €2.92

-8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$3.14 €2.79

-40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$6.86 €6.10

-43.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$6.01 €5.35

-25.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.30 €1.16

-0.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.65 €1.47

23.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.09 €1.86

-17.70%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.95 €3.52

20.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.52 €12.03

24.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$11.18 €9.95

-20.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$16.71 €14.86

18.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.98 €1.76

50.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.99 €1.77

2.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.02 €1.80

35.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.27 €2.02

18.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.25 €1.11

68.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.28 €1.14

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.13 €1.00

28.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.94 €0.84

-5.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$13.42 €11.93

-48.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$5.54 €4.93

40.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.35 €1.20

7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.76 €1.56

46.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$5.09 €4.52

-41.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$72.8 €64.8

-65.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$4.69 €4.17

-33.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.45 €3.07

-58.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$33.16 €29.49

1.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.47 €2.19

-27.53%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$41.2K €36.7K

-16.02%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$38.3K €34.1K

-21.54%

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

$178 €158

$281 €250

-36.67%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$19.27 €17.14

-30.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$49.88 €44.37

-30.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$41.09 €36.55

29.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$13.78 €12.26

-19.74%

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

$957 €851

$2,414 €2,148

-60.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$11.6K €10.4K

42.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$96.1 €85.5

-8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$42.35 €37.67

-6.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$105 €93.3

-1.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$135 €120

-9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,422 €1,265

16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,287 €1,145

1.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,507 €1,341

69.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,541 €1,371

24.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,777 €3,359

-39.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.4

-3.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rijswijk: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Rijswijk

$1.3K 49.6% 1.1% $15

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Rijswijk

$285 11% 10.9% $35

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Rijswijk

$318 12.3% 17.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Rijswijk

$350 13.5% 54.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Rijswijk

$170 6.6% 7.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Rijswijk

$69 2.7% 8.9% $6.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Rijswijk

$115 4.4% 143% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,422 in Rijswijk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rijswijk pays 66% 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 $77.0 in Rijswijk. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $285, with Rijswijk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Rijswijk

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

51,027

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Rijswijk 1,200 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 Rijswijk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Rijswijk differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,594 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Rijswijk. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,422 in Rijswijk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $2,414 in Rijswijk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Rijswijk pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,594 in Rijswijk, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Rijswijk. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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 Rijswijk 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Rijswijk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.