Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sint-Niklaas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sint-Niklaas: $2,078 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Sint-Niklaas
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Sint-Niklaas Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Sint-Niklaas

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sint-Niklaas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,078 in Sint-Niklaas.

Barcelona $2,453
Sint-Niklaas $2,078

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,986 in Sint-Niklaas.

Barcelona $3,509
Sint-Niklaas $2,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,895 in Sint-Niklaas.

Barcelona $4,564
Sint-Niklaas $3,895

Living in Barcelona is roughly 18% more expensive than in Sint-Niklaas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Sint-Niklaas 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$22.49 €20.14

-21.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$79.2 €70.9

-14.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.31 €11.92

1.65%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.33 €3.88

-26.33%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.92 €2.61

-0.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.81 €2.52

-32.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.64 €5.05

-28.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.45 €3.98

1.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.37 €1.23

-4.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.62 €2.35

-22.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.01 €1.80

-7.96%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.93 €3.52

22.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$11.72 €10.50

42.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.74 €10.52

-22.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$19.35 €17.33

1.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.79 €2.50

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.13 €1.91

-5.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.15 €1.93

25.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.30 €2.06

21.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.21 €1.98

-5.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.71 €1.53

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.49 €1.33

-2.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.95 €0.85

-1.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$13.19 €11.81

-47.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$7.35 €6.58

7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.88 €1.69

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.84 €1.65

38.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.77 €2.48

13.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.66 €5.07

-47.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.42 €2.17

-38.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$25.61 €22.94

30.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.98 €1.78

-9.09%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$36.0K €32.3K

-7.88%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$36.8K €32.9K

-13.78%

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

$180 €162

$214 €192

-15.79%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$21.95 €19.66

-36.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$48.42 €43.37

-30.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$35.53 €31.82

44.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$14.46 €12.95

-24.00%

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

$917 €821

$738 €661

24.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.1K €14.4K

2.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$113 €101

-23.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$53.7 €48.08

-28.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$104 €93.5

1.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$169 €151

-29.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$937 €839

81.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$852 €763

59.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$1,385 €1,241

87.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,137 €1,018

81.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$3,282 €2,940

110.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$2,809 €2,516

82.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$4,709 €4,218

-53.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.52

-6.82%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sint-Niklaas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Sint-Niklaas

$852 41% 37.1% $503

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Sint-Niklaas

$318 15.3% 1.3% $4.1

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Sint-Niklaas

$332 16% 23.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Sint-Niklaas

$285 13.7% 24.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sint-Niklaas

$198 9.5% 25.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Sint-Niklaas

$64 3.1% 12.3% $9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Sint-Niklaas

$29 * 1.4% 40.4% $20

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 $937 in Sint-Niklaas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sint-Niklaas pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $79 in Sint-Niklaas. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $318, with Sint-Niklaas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇪 Sint-Niklaas

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

69,010

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Sint-Niklaas 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sint-Niklaas

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-Niklaas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,078 in Sint-Niklaas, so Sint-Niklaas is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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 $937 in Sint-Niklaas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $738 in Sint-Niklaas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $2,078 in Sint-Niklaas – Sint-Niklaas is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Sint-Niklaas 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 Sint-Niklaas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.