Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Szombathely Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Szombathely

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,119 in Szombathely.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $1,614 in Szombathely.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $2,110 in Szombathely.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 112% more expensive than Szombathely, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 77% above, Szombathely is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.12

$8.74 Ft 2,667

101.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$43.50 Ft 13.3K

57.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.09

$8.59 Ft 2,620

63.68%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$2.17 Ft 663

28.11%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$1.10 Ft 336

154.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$0.98 Ft 299

110.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$1.57 Ft 478

184.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.96

$2.19 Ft 668

110.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.05 Ft 321

18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.74

$1.50 Ft 457

35.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$1.81 Ft 553

6.08%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$2.42 Ft 739

36.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.85

$9.05 Ft 2,759

103.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.16

$6.14 Ft 1,872

54.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.48

$14.30 Ft 4,361

33.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$1.96 Ft 599

34.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.83 Ft 558

33.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.82

$2.20 Ft 670

-3.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$2.91 Ft 888

-2.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.13 Ft 345

80.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.22 Ft 373

51.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.26

$1.80 Ft 549

-18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.54 Ft 163

55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.14

$7.16 Ft 2,183

-0.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.78

$5.02 Ft 1,531

56.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.17 Ft 357

17.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$1.57 Ft 478

47.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.56

$0.81 Ft 247

267.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.17

$18.44 Ft 5,625

58.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.95

$2.66 Ft 811

72.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.16 Ft 354

78.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.10

$22.24 Ft 6,782

31.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.68 Ft 512

9.52%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$27.5K Ft 8.4M

41.91%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$25.4K Ft 7.7M

28.76%

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

$188 €162

$166 Ft 50.5K

13.34%

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

$22.93 €19.73

$27.27 Ft 8,315

-15.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.58

$19.55 Ft 5,961

87.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.35

$46.17 Ft 14.1K

24.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.80

$16.75 Ft 5,108

23.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.63

$4.34 Ft 1,322

157.83%

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

$721 €620

$402 Ft 122.6K

79.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €12.9K

$7,204 Ft 2.2M

108.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$91.8 Ft 28.0K

-6.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.89

$45.08 Ft 13.7K

-17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$93.0 Ft 28.4K

9.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.7

$101 Ft 30.8K

14.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,319

$429 Ft 131.0K

257.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,050

$313 Ft 95.4K

290.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,319

$440 Ft 134.1K

513.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,732

$341 Ft 103.9K

490.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,211

$2,656 Ft 810.0K

171.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,463

$2,156 Ft 657.6K

140.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,029

$1,262 Ft 384.9K

86.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

7.5

-54.80%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Szombathely: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $429 in Szombathely. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 87% 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 $43.00 in Szombathely for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $226 per month, with Szombathely cheaper across the board.

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

Barcelona and Szombathely differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,119 including rent). Szombathely is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Barcelona pays 87% more on average, 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $429 in Szombathely. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $402 in Szombathely. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,119 in Szombathely versus $2,367 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 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 Szombathely gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.