Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sint Nicolaas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sint Nicolaas: $136 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Sint Nicolaas

🇦🇼 Aruba

$136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sint Nicolaas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $136 in Sint Nicolaas.

Barcelona $2,453
Sint Nicolaas $136

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $332 in Sint Nicolaas.

Barcelona $3,509
Sint Nicolaas $332

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $527 in Sint Nicolaas.

Barcelona $4,564
Sint Nicolaas $527

Living in Barcelona is roughly 1707% more expensive than in Sint Nicolaas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Sint Nicolaas is 90% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$16.40 AWG 29.34

7.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$45.10 AWG 80.7

49.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

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

$2.91 €2.61

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.14 AWG 2.03

65.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$31.7K €28.4K

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

$180 €162

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

$13.84 €12.40

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

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

$917 €821

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sint Nicolaas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out at a mid-range restaurant: $67 in Barcelona vs $45 in Sint Nicolaas for two.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇼 Sint Nicolaas

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

04:13 4:13 AM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

18,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Sint Nicolaas 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sint Nicolaas

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 Sint Nicolaas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $136 in Sint Nicolaas, so Sint Nicolaas is about 94% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $204 in Sint Nicolaas to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Sint Nicolaas – a meal for two runs $45 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $136 in Sint Nicolaas – Sint Nicolaas is about 94% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $136 in Sint Nicolaas versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Sint Nicolaas but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sint Nicolaas 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 Sint Nicolaas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.