Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Spakenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,642 in Spakenburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Spakenburg
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Spakenburg Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Spakenburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Spakenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,642 in Spakenburg.

Barcelona $2,381
Spakenburg $2,642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,749 in Spakenburg.

Barcelona $3,406
Spakenburg $3,749

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,856 in Spakenburg.

Barcelona $4,431
Spakenburg $4,856

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 10% less than in Spakenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Spakenburg 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$22.62 €20.12

-20.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$82.8 €73.7

-20.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$13.21 €11.75

3.63%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.10 €3.64

-25.37%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$3.80 €3.38

-19.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$3.07 €2.73

-36.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.49 €5.78

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.26 €5.57

-26.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.25 €1.11

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.53 €1.36

37.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.47 €2.20

-25.91%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.76 €4.23

-2.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$12.90 €11.48

34.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$14.39 €12.80

-35.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$18.60 €16.55

6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.97 €1.75

52.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.40 €2.13

-15.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.79 €1.59

48.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.32 €3.84

-33.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.74 €1.55

24.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.83 €1.63

17.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.27 €1.13

15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.84 €0.75

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$13.74 €12.22

-49.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$6.83 €6.07

14.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.34 €1.20

3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.36 €2.99

-13.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$89.5 €79.6

-71.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.82 €3.40

-21.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.70 €2.41

-46.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$29.56 €26.29

12.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.41 €2.15

-22.82%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$40.8K €36.3K

-20.68%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$38.6K €34.4K

-17.92%

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

$183 €163

$244 €217

-25.04%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$22.29 €19.83

-38.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$47.30 €42.07

-30.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.31 €36.74

32.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$24.22 €21.55

-31.79%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.39 €13.69

-27.03%

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

$954 €849

$2,339 €2,080

-59.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$8,114 €7,218

104.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$93.9 €83.6

-8.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$43.75 €38.91

-10.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$87.3 €77.6

18.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$126 €112

-6.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,240 €1,103

36.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,310 €1,166

-2.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,673 €1,488

54.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,873 €1,666

2.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,410 €3,923

65.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,660 €3,255

36.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,916 €2,594

-23.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.23

1.55%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Spakenburg: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Spakenburg

$1.3K 49.6% 2.7% $34

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Spakenburg

$326 12.3% 0.2% $0.7

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Spakenburg

$342 13% 27% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Spakenburg

$313 11.9% 36.7% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Spakenburg

$158 6% 1.1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Spakenburg

$72 2.7% 6.6% $5.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Spakenburg

$120 4.6% 154% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,240 in Spakenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Spakenburg pays 31% 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 $83.0 in Spakenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $326 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Spakenburg

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

4,375

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Spakenburg 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Spakenburg

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 Spakenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Spakenburg differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,642 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Spakenburg. 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 $1,240 in Spakenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $2,339 in Spakenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Spakenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,642 in Spakenburg, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Spakenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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 Spakenburg 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 11% less than in Spakenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.