Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Stenungsund

For one person, living is cheaper in Stenungsund: $1,887 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Stenungsund
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Stenungsund Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Stenungsund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Stenungsund

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,887 in Stenungsund.

Barcelona $2,453
Stenungsund $1,887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,880 in Stenungsund.

Barcelona $3,509
Stenungsund $2,880

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,872 in Stenungsund.

Barcelona $4,564
Stenungsund $3,872

Living in Barcelona is roughly 30% more expensive than in Stenungsund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Stenungsund 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$14.02 SEK 138

25.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$66.8 SEK 656

0.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.64 SEK 84.9

56.60%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.40 SEK 43.18

-27.50%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.47 SEK 14.44

97.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.22 SEK 21.79

-14.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.03 SEK 69.1

-42.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.89 SEK 67.7

-34.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.43 SEK 14.05

-8.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.15 SEK 30.91

-35.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$5.60 SEK 55.0

-66.96%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.23 SEK 51.3

-7.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.62 SEK 134

22.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.38 SEK 131

-31.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$16.96 SEK 167

15.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.24 SEK 31.77

-8.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.67 SEK 26.20

-24.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.05 SEK 20.16

31.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.62 SEK 45.39

-39.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.43 SEK 14.04

46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.74 SEK 17.12

18.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.26 SEK 22.19

-35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.82 SEK 17.83

-48.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.35 SEK 72.2

-6.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.14 SEK 79.9

-3.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.00 SEK 19.67

-29.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.21 SEK 21.69

14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.57 SEK 25.23

22.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$77.9 SEK 765

-67.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$13.37 SEK 131

-77.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.05 SEK 20.18

-27.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$81.3 SEK 798

-58.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.76 SEK 17.29

2.27%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$32.7K SEK 320.9K

1.58%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.8K SEK 332.2K

-6.29%

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

$180 €162

$178 SEK 1,748

1.37%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$28.89 SEK 284

-52.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$47.61 SEK 468

-29.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$37.19 SEK 365

38.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$26.84 SEK 264

-40.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$17.15 SEK 168

-35.92%

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

$917 €821

$219 SEK 2,152

318.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$5,035 SEK 49.4K

227.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$98.0 SEK 962

-11.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$53.0 SEK 521

-27.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$95.1 SEK 934

11.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$218 SEK 2,144

-45.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$813 SEK 7,980

109.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$606 SEK 5,946

123.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,378 SEK 13.5K

88.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,002 SEK 9,836

105.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,961 SEK 38.9K

74.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,832 SEK 27.8K

81.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,935 SEK 19.0K

14.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.8

17.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stenungsund: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Stenungsund

$606 32.1% 55.3% $750

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Stenungsund

$381 20.2% 18.3% $59

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Stenungsund

$255 13.5% 5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Stenungsund

$254 13.5% 11.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Stenungsund

$209 11.1% 32.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Stenungsund

$72 3.8% 2.7% $2

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Stenungsund

$112 5.9% 131% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $813 in Stenungsund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 14% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $67 in Stenungsund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $381 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇪 Stenungsund

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

27,842

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Stenungsund 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Stenungsund

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 Stenungsund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,887 in Stenungsund, so Stenungsund is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $813 in Stenungsund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $219 in Stenungsund. 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 67% less than in Stenungsund. 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 Stenungsund are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Stenungsund wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.