Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Roskilde

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,518 in Roskilde, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. The total is higher in Roskilde despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Roskilde
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Roskilde Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Roskilde

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Roskilde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,518 in Roskilde.

Barcelona $2,453
Roskilde $2,518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,879 in Roskilde.

Barcelona $3,509
Roskilde $3,879

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,241 in Roskilde.

Barcelona $4,564
Roskilde $5,241

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 3% less than in Roskilde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Roskilde 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.69

$18.08 DKK 121

-2.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$111 DKK 740

-39.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$14.66 DKK 97.8

-7.71%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$7.19 DKK 47.93

-55.63%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$4.32 DKK 28.78

-32.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$3.41 DKK 22.75

-44.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$8.43 DKK 56.3

-52.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$8.37 DKK 55.8

-45.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.94 DKK 12.91

-32.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.94 DKK 26.27

-48.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.29 DKK 15.27

-19.21%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$4.92 DKK 32.80

-1.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.93

$14.48 DKK 96.6

15.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$11.17 DKK 74.5

-18.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.52

$18.20 DKK 121

7.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.65 DKK 17.68

12.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.84 DKK 18.95

-28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.10 DKK 13.99

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.00 DKK 26.69

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.73 DKK 11.56

20.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.38 DKK 9.21

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.38 DKK 9.21

5.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.67 DKK 4.48

40.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$9.06 DKK 60.4

-24.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$7.27 DKK 48.50

8.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.97 DKK 13.11

-28.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.54 DKK 16.95

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.70

$75.8 DKK 505

-66.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$5.94 DKK 39.63

-49.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.72 DKK 11.50

-13.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$60.9 DKK 406

-45.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.27 DKK 15.12

-20.70%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$53.0K DKK 353.5K

-37.38%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$53.1K DKK 354.2K

-40.31%

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

$180 €161

$215 DKK 1,434

-16.10%

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

$13.84 €12.35

$15.49 DKK 103

-10.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.06

$43.42 DKK 290

-22.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.96

$60.9 DKK 406

-15.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.81

$16.63 DKK 111

-33.91%

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

$917 €818

$368 DKK 2,455

148.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$5,944 DKK 39.6K

177.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$104 DKK 694

-16.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.35

$47.54 DKK 317

-18.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$152 DKK 1,014

-30.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$189 DKK 1,261

-36.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,516

$1,278 DKK 8,521

33.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,209

$1,122 DKK 7,481

20.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,322

$2,552 DKK 17.0K

1.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,986 DKK 13.2K

3.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,169

$6,679 DKK 44.5K

3.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,575

$5,952 DKK 39.7K

-13.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,972

$4,196 DKK 28.0K

-47.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.67

-10.63%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Roskilde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Roskilde

$1.1K 44.5% 17.2% $234

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Roskilde

$351 14% 9.1% $29

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Roskilde

$365 14.5% 36.1% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Roskilde

$274 10.9% 20.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Roskilde

$222 8.8% 40.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Roskilde

$94 3.7% 28% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Roskilde

$90 * 3.6% 86.4% $42

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,278 in Roskilde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roskilde pays 90% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $111 in Roskilde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $351 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇰 Roskilde

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

50,781

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 DKK = 0.15 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Roskilde 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Roskilde

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 Roskilde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,518 in Roskilde, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,278 in Roskilde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $368 in Roskilde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Roskilde. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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