Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Szekesfehervar

For one person, living is cheaper in Szekesfehervar: $1,089 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Szekesfehervar
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Szekesfehervar Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Szekesfehervar

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Szekesfehervar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,089 in Szekesfehervar.

Barcelona $2,453
Szekesfehervar $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,787 in Szekesfehervar.

Barcelona $3,509
Szekesfehervar $1,787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,485 in Szekesfehervar.

Barcelona $4,564
Szekesfehervar $2,485

Living in Barcelona is roughly 125% more expensive than in Szekesfehervar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Szekesfehervar is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$9.27 Ft 3,033

89.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$58.6 Ft 19.2K

15.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.64 Ft 2,828

56.60%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.11 Ft 690

51.18%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.39 Ft 454

109.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.02 Ft 333

85.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.00 Ft 656

100.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.30 Ft 753

96.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.12 Ft 367

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.34 Ft 440

50.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.49 Ft 816

-25.70%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.55 Ft 1,161

36.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$10.58 Ft 3,463

58.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$6.10 Ft 1,998

49.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$16.10 Ft 5,272

21.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.11 Ft 691

41.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.21 Ft 724

-8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.97 Ft 646

37.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.09 Ft 1,012

-9.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.02 Ft 334

104.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.10 Ft 360

88.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.64 Ft 536

-10.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.51 Ft 168

84.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$6.73 Ft 2,205

2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$3.05 Ft 1,000

158.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.27 Ft 415

11.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.05 Ft 672

23.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.19 Ft 391

163.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$26.36 Ft 8,628

-3.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.94 Ft 961

1.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.62 Ft 531

-8.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$18.45 Ft 6,039

80.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.85 Ft 606

-2.70%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.1K Ft 8.9M

22.28%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$29.9K Ft 9.8M

6.07%

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

$180 €162

$127 Ft 41.6K

42.03%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$27.40 Ft 8,969

-49.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$19.40 Ft 6,351

73.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$44.83 Ft 14.7K

14.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.49 Ft 2,781

29.45%

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

$917 €821

$243 Ft 79.4K

277.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$6,655 Ft 2.2M

147.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$68.4 Ft 22.4K

27.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$24.45 Ft 8,003

57.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$74.6 Ft 24.4K

41.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$82.1 Ft 26.9K

45.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$394 Ft 129.1K

331.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$308 Ft 100.8K

340.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$629 Ft 206.0K

313.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$655 Ft 214.4K

214.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,372 Ft 1.1M

105.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,051 Ft 998.9K

68.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,489 Ft 487.3K

48.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.67

-50.82%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Szekesfehervar: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Szekesfehervar

$308 28.3% 77.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Szekesfehervar

$241 22.2% 25.1% $81

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Szekesfehervar

$150 13.7% 44.2% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Szekesfehervar

$174 16% 23.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Szekesfehervar

$112 10.3% 28.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Szekesfehervar

$62 5.7% 15.9% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Szekesfehervar

$42 3.9% 13% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $394 in Szekesfehervar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 49% 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 $59 in Szekesfehervar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $241 per month, with Szekesfehervar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇺 Szekesfehervar

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

96,024

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Szekesfehervar 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Szekesfehervar

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 Szekesfehervar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,089 in Szekesfehervar, so Szekesfehervar is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% 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 $394 in Szekesfehervar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $243 in Szekesfehervar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,089 in Szekesfehervar versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szekesfehervar but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Szekesfehervar 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 Szekesfehervar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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