Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Szczecin

For one person, living is cheaper in Szczecin: $1,343 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Szczecin
Learn more

Szczecin Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Szczecin

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,343

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Szczecin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,343 in Szczecin.

Barcelona $2,399
Szczecin $1,343

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $1,997 in Szczecin.

Barcelona $3,410
Szczecin $1,997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $2,651 in Szczecin.

Barcelona $4,421
Szczecin $2,651

Living in Barcelona is roughly 79% more expensive than in Szczecin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 78% above, Szczecin is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$9.13 zł 35.49

96.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$45.70 zł 178

48.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$8.22 zł 31.94

61.56%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.96 zł 11.50

9.80%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$1.86 zł 7.22

61.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.39 zł 5.42

34.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.01 zł 11.70

27.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.97 zł 11.53

50.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.92 zł 3.56

40.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.29 zł 5.01

58.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.10 zł 4.27

56.36%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.35 zł 13.02

42.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$9.32 zł 36.22

79.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$6.43 zł 24.99

38.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$12.89 zł 50.1

54.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$0.89 zł 3.46

234.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.67 zł 6.50

21.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.52 zł 5.90

79.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.32 zł 9.03

15.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.84 zł 3.28

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.04 zł 4.04

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.10 zł 4.27

31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.56 zł 2.17

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$5.26 zł 20.43

31.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$6.19 zł 24.05

25.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.06 zł 4.13

36.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.47 zł 5.71

74.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.78 zł 3.04

283.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$25.46 zł 98.9

-1.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.98 zł 7.70

57.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.87 zł 3.40

65.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$12.65 zł 49.15

164.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.64 zł 6.37

9.15%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$30.0K zł 116.6K

15.38%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$27.9K zł 108.5K

7.62%

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

$178 €158

$241 zł 937

-26.22%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$12.23 zł 47.52

8.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$19.03 zł 73.9

83.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$30.45 zł 118

74.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$50.3 zł 196

-68.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$6.26 zł 24.32

76.68%

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

$957 €851

$335 zł 1,301

185.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$7,493 zł 29.1K

121.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$69.1 zł 268

27.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$35.31 zł 137

11.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$79.7 zł 310

29.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$90.6 zł 352

34.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$602 zł 2,339

174.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$495 zł 1,922

163.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,136 zł 4,415

125.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$834 zł 3,240

129.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$3,284 zł 12.8K

121.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$2,343 zł 9,102

116.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,556 zł 6,046

46.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.82

-51.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Szczecin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Szczecin

$495 36.8% 62% $807

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Szczecin

$207 15.4% 35.3% $113

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Szczecin

$167 12.5% 38.1% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Szczecin

$272 20.3% 20.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Szczecin

$124 9.2% 22% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Szczecin

$43 3.2% 43% $32

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Szczecin

$35 2.6% 26.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $602 in Szczecin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 47% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $46.00 in Szczecin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $207 per month, with Szczecin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇱 Szczecin

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

387,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Szczecin 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Szczecin

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 Szczecin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Szczecin differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,343 including rent). Szczecin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $602 in Szczecin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $335 in Szczecin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,343 in Szczecin versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szczecin but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Szczecin 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 Szczecin 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 Szczecin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.