Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Szombathely

For one person, living is cheaper in Szombathely: $1,222 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Szombathely
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Szombathely Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Szombathely

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Szombathely

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,222 in Szombathely.

Barcelona $2,453
Szombathely $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,944 in Szombathely.

Barcelona $3,509
Szombathely $1,944

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,666 in Szombathely.

Barcelona $4,564
Szombathely $2,666

Living in Barcelona is roughly 101% more expensive than in Szombathely, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Szombathely is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$11.43 Ft 3,746

53.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$53.7 Ft 17.6K

25.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.03 Ft 2,961

49.83%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.36 Ft 772

35.17%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.29 Ft 422

125.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.22 Ft 399

54.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$1.71 Ft 559

134.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.24 Ft 735

102.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.19 Ft 390

10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.63 Ft 534

23.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.49 Ft 817

-25.70%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.26 Ft 1,068

48.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$10.39 Ft 3,405

61.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$6.78 Ft 2,224

34.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$16.03 Ft 5,254

22.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.23 Ft 729

33.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.04 Ft 669

-0.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.39 Ft 783

12.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.42 Ft 1,122

-18.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.07 Ft 351

95.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.39 Ft 456

48.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.77 Ft 581

-17.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.55 Ft 180

70.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$8.90 Ft 2,916

-22.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$4.45 Ft 1,457

77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.27 Ft 416

11.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.52 Ft 827

0.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.83 Ft 271

278.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$26.83 Ft 8,795

-5.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.67 Ft 877

11.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.33 Ft 436

12.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$23.51 Ft 7,705

41.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.81 Ft 594

-0.55%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.3K Ft 9.0M

21.39%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.0K Ft 10.8M

-4.03%

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

$180 €162

$166 Ft 54.5K

8.42%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$20.51 Ft 6,722

-32.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$21.05 Ft 6,900

60.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$51.0 Ft 16.7K

1.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$17.97 Ft 5,890

-11.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$4.46 Ft 1,463

146.41%

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

$917 €821

$433 Ft 141.8K

111.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,571 Ft 2.5M

117.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$100 Ft 32.9K

-13.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$51.6 Ft 16.9K

-25.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$96.0 Ft 31.5K

10.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$111 Ft 36.5K

7.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$521 Ft 170.9K

225.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$329 Ft 107.9K

311.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$746 Ft 244.7K

248.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$643 Ft 210.7K

220.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$2,419 Ft 792.8K

185.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$1,983 Ft 649.9K

158.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$1,165 Ft 381.8K

89.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

7.5

-56.27%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Szombathely: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Szombathely

$329 26.9% 75.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Szombathely

$254 20.8% 21% $67

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Szombathely

$170 13.9% 36.6% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Szombathely

$208 17% 8.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Szombathely

$162 13.2% 2.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Szombathely

$60 4.9% 18.5% $14

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Szombathely

$39 3.2% 18.6% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $521 in Szombathely. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 90% 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 $54 in Szombathely for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $254 per month, with Szombathely cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇺 Szombathely

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

77,757

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 328 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Szombathely 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Szombathely

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 Szombathely: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,222 in Szombathely, so Szombathely is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 90% 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 $521 in Szombathely. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $433 in Szombathely. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,222 in Szombathely versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szombathely but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Szombathely 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 Szombathely are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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