Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Szczecinek

For one person, living is cheaper in Szczecinek: $1,475 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Szczecinek
Learn more

Szczecinek Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Szczecinek

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Szczecinek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,475 in Szczecinek.

Barcelona $2,453
Szczecinek $1,475

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,128 in Szczecinek.

Barcelona $3,509
Szczecinek $2,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,780 in Szczecinek.

Barcelona $4,564
Szczecinek $2,780

Living in Barcelona is roughly 66% more expensive than in Szczecinek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Szczecinek 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$11.46 zł 45.32

53.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$43.98 zł 174

53.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.70 zł 34.38

55.52%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.46 zł 13.66

-7.80%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.10 zł 4.33

164.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.84 zł 3.32

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$3.07 zł 12.12

30.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$1.44 zł 5.70

214.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.89 zł 3.51

47.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.19 zł 4.70

69.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.35 zł 5.35

37.04%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.48 zł 13.77

38.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$7.69 zł 30.41

117.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$6.10 zł 24.10

49.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$12.92 zł 51.1

52.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.23 zł 4.84

142.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.12 zł 4.44

80.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.64 zł 6.49

64.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.50 zł 9.90

12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.78 zł 3.07

167.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.78 zł 3.09

165.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.27 zł 5.01

14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.70 zł 2.77

34.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$5.73 zł 22.65

19.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.64 zł 30.19

3.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.14 zł 4.52

23.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.42 zł 5.60

78.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.03 zł 4.08

204.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$30.54 zł 121

-16.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.30 zł 9.08

30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.04 zł 4.13

43.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$11.32 zł 44.74

194.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.44 zł 5.69

25.00%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$31.1K zł 122.8K

6.88%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$28.4K zł 112.2K

11.68%

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

$180 €162

$295 zł 1,165

-38.78%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$7.67 zł 30.33

80.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$18.39 zł 72.7

83.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$37.56 zł 148

37.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$23.63 zł 93.4

-32.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$7.37 zł 29.14

49.12%

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

$917 €821

$205 zł 811

346.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,514 zł 29.7K

119.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$77.6 zł 307

12.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$37.62 zł 149

2.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$84.3 zł 333

25.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$109 zł 432

9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$541 zł 2,138

214.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$530 zł 2,096

155.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,031 zł 4,074

152.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$852 zł 3,369

142.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,714 zł 10.7K

154.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,178 zł 8,611

135.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,255 zł 4,962

76.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.2

-21.90%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Szczecinek: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Szczecinek

$530 36% 60.9% $825

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Szczecinek

$206 13.9% 36.1% $116

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Szczecinek

$185 12.6% 30.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Szczecinek

$321 21.7% 40.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Szczecinek

$139 9.4% 12% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Szczecinek

$52 3.5% 28.8% $21

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Szczecinek

$42 2.9% 13% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $541 in Szczecinek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 76% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $44 in Szczecinek for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $206 per month, with Szczecinek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇱 Szczecinek

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

39,705

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Szczecinek 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Szczecinek

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 Szczecinek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,475 in Szczecinek, so Szczecinek is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 76% 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 $541 in Szczecinek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $205 in Szczecinek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,475 in Szczecinek versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Szczecinek but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Szczecinek 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 Szczecinek are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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