Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Schiedam

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in Schiedam: $2,381 and $2,499 a month, rent and utilities included.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Schiedam
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Schiedam Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Schiedam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Schiedam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,499 in Schiedam.

Barcelona $2,381
Schiedam $2,499

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,684 in Schiedam.

Barcelona $3,406
Schiedam $3,684

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,869 in Schiedam.

Barcelona $4,431
Schiedam $4,869

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 5% less than in Schiedam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Schiedam 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$19.36 €17.22

-7.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$89.1 €79.2

-25.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$15.23 €13.55

-10.11%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.13 €3.68

-25.91%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.56 €3.17

-13.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.86 €2.55

-32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$7.19 €6.39

-46.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.80 €6.05

-32.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.35 €1.20

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.15 €1.91

-2.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.41 €2.14

-24.07%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.51 €4.01

2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$14.61 €12.99

18.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$12.87 €11.45

-27.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$15.85 €14.10

25.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.64 €2.35

14.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.21 €1.96

-8.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.95 €1.74

35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.71 €4.19

-39.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.35 €1.20

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.33 €1.18

61.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.11 €0.99

32.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.74 €0.66

18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$13.34 €11.86

-48.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.79 €5.15

35.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.33 €1.19

4.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.96 €1.74

34.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.27 €2.02

28.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$90.9 €80.8

-71.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.33 €2.96

-9.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.36 €2.99

-57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$22.43 €19.95

48.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.36 €2.10

-21.19%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$41.4K €36.9K

-21.94%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$39.2K €34.9K

-19.15%

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

$183 €163

$272 €242

-32.80%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$16.73 €14.88

-18.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$54.7 €48.61

-39.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$27.72 €24.66

97.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$23.56 €20.95

-29.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.46 €13.75

-27.36%

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

$954 €849

$1,767 €1,572

-46.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$11.6K €10.3K

43.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$116 €103

-25.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$35.86 €31.90

9.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$110 €97.9

-5.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$138 €122

-13.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,594 €1,418

6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,153 €1,026

10.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,365 €2,103

8.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,874 €1,667

2.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,657 €5,031

28.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$4,081 €3,630

22.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,469 €2,196

-9.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.8

17.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Schiedam: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Schiedam

$1.2K 46.2% 9.6% $123

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Schiedam

$319 12.7% 2% $6.6

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Schiedam

$325 13% 20.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Schiedam

$343 13.7% 49.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Schiedam

$180 7.2% 14.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Schiedam

$59 2.4% 24% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Schiedam

$120 4.8% 154% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,594 in Schiedam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schiedam pays 11% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $89.0 in Schiedam. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $319, with Schiedam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Schiedam

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

78,730

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Schiedam 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Schiedam

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 Schiedam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Schiedam differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,499 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Schiedam. 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 $1,594 in Schiedam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,767 in Schiedam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Schiedam pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Schiedam 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 5% less than in Schiedam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.