Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Taby Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Taby

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,865 in Taby.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $2,902 in Taby.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $3,939 in Taby.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 27% more expensive than Taby, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Taby 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$13.23 SEK 124

32.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$68.6 SEK 643

-0.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$10.71 SEK 100

31.28%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$4.53 SEK 42.48

-38.63%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$3.29 SEK 30.84

-14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$2.54 SEK 23.79

-18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$7.47 SEK 70.1

-40.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$8.55 SEK 80.2

-46.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.74 SEK 16.31

-28.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$3.08 SEK 28.91

-34.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$4.10 SEK 38.42

-53.17%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$4.71 SEK 44.14

-29.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$12.91 SEK 121

42.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$12.00 SEK 113

-20.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.49

$19.55 SEK 183

-1.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.51 SEK 32.92

-24.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$2.72 SEK 25.49

-9.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$1.56 SEK 14.63

35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$4.51 SEK 42.33

-36.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.97 SEK 18.44

3.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.83 SEK 17.12

1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$2.53 SEK 23.69

-41.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.55 SEK 14.54

-45.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$7.20 SEK 67.5

-0.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$12.83 SEK 120

-38.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.70 SEK 15.92

-18.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.27 SEK 21.28

1.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$4.01 SEK 37.64

-25.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.19

$104 SEK 978

-71.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$6.16 SEK 57.7

-25.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.19 SEK 11.15

73.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.12

$21.45 SEK 201

36.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$2.00 SEK 18.74

-8.00%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$32.3K SEK 302.8K

20.82%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$34.8K SEK 326.8K

-6.17%

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

$188 €162

$89.1 SEK 835

110.87%

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

$22.93 €19.74

$28.50 SEK 267

-19.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$38.09 SEK 357

-3.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.39

$47.05 SEK 441

21.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$25.12 SEK 236

-17.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$17.57 SEK 165

-36.31%

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

$721 €621

$164 SEK 1,535

340.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$4,112 SEK 38.6K

265.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$106 SEK 994

-18.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$42.87 SEK 402

-13.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$115 SEK 1,078

-11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$158 SEK 1,478

-26.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,320

$832 SEK 7,804

84.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$661 SEK 6,204

84.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$1,413 SEK 13.3K

90.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,733

$1,085 SEK 10.2K

85.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,216

$6,572 SEK 61.6K

9.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,467

$7,485 SEK 70.2K

-30.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,031

$3,558 SEK 33.4K

-33.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

4.16

-18.51%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Taby: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $832 in Taby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taby pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $69.0 in Taby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $380 per month, with Barcelona 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 Taby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Taby differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,865 including rent). Taby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Taby earns 51% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $832 in Taby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $164 in Taby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,865 in Taby versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Taby but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Taby 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 Taby 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 Taby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.