Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Skelleftea Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Skelleftea

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $2,094 in Skelleftea.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $3,153 in Skelleftea.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $4,211 in Skelleftea.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 13% more expensive than Skelleftea, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Skelleftea 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.12

$14.69 SEK 137

19.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$68.5 SEK 640

-0.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.09

$12.94 SEK 121

8.66%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$4.60 SEK 42.94

-39.57%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$2.48 SEK 23.15

12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$2.02 SEK 18.83

1.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$8.77 SEK 81.8

-49.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.96

$8.38 SEK 78.2

-44.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.67 SEK 15.60

-25.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.74

$2.66 SEK 24.83

-23.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$5.15 SEK 48.03

-62.72%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$4.84 SEK 45.19

-31.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.85

$11.61 SEK 108

58.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.16

$11.53 SEK 108

-17.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.48

$22.74 SEK 212

-15.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$2.56 SEK 23.92

3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$2.56 SEK 23.86

-4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.82

$3.24 SEK 30.25

-34.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$3.65 SEK 34.02

-21.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$2.13 SEK 19.90

-4.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.60 SEK 14.97

15.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.26

$2.30 SEK 21.46

-36.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.49 SEK 13.94

-43.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.14

$7.08 SEK 66.0

0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.78

$16.32 SEK 152

-51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.86 SEK 17.37

-25.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$1.70 SEK 15.83

35.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.56

$4.13 SEK 38.57

-27.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.17

$57.5 SEK 537

-49.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.95

$8.34 SEK 77.8

-44.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$2.01 SEK 18.80

2.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.10

$59.0 SEK 551

-50.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.89 SEK 17.63

-2.65%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$32.9K SEK 306.7K

18.69%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$33.6K SEK 313.2K

-2.59%

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

$188 €162

$174 SEK 1,619

8.22%

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

$22.93 €19.73

$31.92 SEK 298

-28.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.58

$28.36 SEK 265

29.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.35

$40.29 SEK 376

42.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.80

$25.55 SEK 238

-18.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.63

$15.88 SEK 148

-29.53%

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

$721 €620

$148 SEK 1,380

387.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €12.9K

$4,153 SEK 38.8K

262.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$99.4 SEK 927

-13.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.89

$41.17 SEK 384

-9.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$85.1 SEK 794

19.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.7

$163 SEK 1,524

-29.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,319

$1,295 SEK 12.1K

18.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,050

$880 SEK 8,208

38.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,319

$1,760 SEK 16.4K

53.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,732

$1,408 SEK 13.1K

42.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,211

$3,771 SEK 35.2K

91.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,463

$3,201 SEK 29.9K

62.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,029

$2,693 SEK 25.1K

-12.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

4.5

-24.67%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Skelleftea: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $1,295 in Skelleftea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skelleftea pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $69.0 in Skelleftea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $385 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

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 Skelleftea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Skelleftea differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $2,094 including rent). Skelleftea is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Skelleftea earns 14% less. 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $1,295 in Skelleftea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $148 in Skelleftea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Skelleftea 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 Skelleftea 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 Skelleftea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.