Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Soest

For one person, living is cheaper in Soest: $1,926 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Soest
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Soest Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Soest

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Soest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $1,926 in Soest.

Barcelona $2,443
Soest $1,926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $2,858 in Soest.

Barcelona $3,519
Soest $2,858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $3,790 in Soest.

Barcelona $4,595
Soest $3,790

Living in Barcelona is roughly 27% more expensive than in Soest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Soest 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$13.39 €11.89

31.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$11.22 €9.97

21.30%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$2.94 €2.62

5.44%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.18 €1.94

37.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.22 €1.97

-13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$3.55 €3.15

8.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$2.29 €2.04

90.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.24 €1.10

0.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.73 €1.53

22.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.89 €3.46

-49.36%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$3.40 €3.02

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$14.12 €12.54

20.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$11.50 €10.22

-22.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$18.17 €16.14

13.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.72 €2.42

16.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.00 €1.78

-1.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.07 €1.84

28.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$2.19 €1.95

31.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.33 €1.18

54.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.18 €1.05

84.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.54 €1.36

-0.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.07 €0.95

-9.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$9.25 €8.22

-24.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$6.12 €5.44

28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.89 €0.79

59.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.49 €1.32

80.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$3.55 €3.15

-6.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$61.8 €54.9

-58.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.87 €3.43

-20.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.54 €2.25

-41.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$33.29 €29.57

-1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.03 €1.80

-7.88%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$30.5K €27.1K

8.06%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$38.2K €34.0K

-16.48%

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

$183 €162

$373 €331

-50.96%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$16.61 €14.75

-14.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$44.03 €39.11

-21.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$28.16 €25.02

82.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

$25.93 €23.04

-36.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$10.74 €9.54

2.98%

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

$944 €838

$468 €416

101.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$16.9K €15.0K

31.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$127 €113

-31.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$33.39 €29.66

16.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$118 €105

-11.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$123 €109

-4.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$1,097 €974

54.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$651 €578

105.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$1,464 €1,301

83.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$1,136 €1,009

82.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$4,699 €4,174

52.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$3,384 €3,006

50.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.96

-19.44%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Soest: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Soest

$651 33.8% 51.3% $686

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Soest

$303 15.7% 7.5% $25

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Soest

$216 11.2% 19.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Soest

$434 22.5% 87.1% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Soest

$181 9.4% 15.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Soest

$50 2.6% 32.5% $24

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Soest

$93 4.8% 87.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,097 in Soest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $67 in Soest. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $303, with Soest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Soest

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

47,460

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Soest 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Soest

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 Soest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $1,926 in Soest, so Soest is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $2,889 in Soest 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,097 in Soest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $468 in Soest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 59% less than in Soest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Soest are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.