Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Taby

For one person, living is cheaper in Taby: $2,122 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Taby
🇸🇪 Sweden
$2,122
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Taby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,122 in Taby.

  • Barcelona $2,381
  • Taby $2,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,043 in Taby.

  • Barcelona $3,406
  • Taby $3,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,964 in Taby.

  • Barcelona $4,431
  • Taby $3,964

Living in Barcelona is roughly 12% more expensive than in Taby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Taby 57% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Taby
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.89 €15.92
$13.66 SEK 135
30.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 €58.9
$65.8 SEK 652
0.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.69 €12.18
$10.09 SEK 100.0
35.68%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$4.28 SEK 42.41
-28.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$3.58 SEK 35.48
-14.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.73
$2.34 SEK 23.19
-17.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$6.95 SEK 68.9
-44.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 €4.10
$8.79 SEK 87.1
-47.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Taby
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.70 SEK 16.83
-23.53%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.87
$3.02 SEK 29.90
-30.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 €1.62
$3.91 SEK 38.75
-53.20%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$5.20 SEK 51.5
-11.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.36 €15.44
$12.81 SEK 127
35.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 €8.25
$12.82 SEK 127
-27.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 €17.64
$17.59 SEK 174
12.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.68
$3.13 SEK 31.05
-3.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.81
$2.62 SEK 25.97
-22.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 €2.36
$1.97 SEK 19.52
34.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 €2.55
$4.50 SEK 44.60
-36.22%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.70 SEK 16.88
27.06%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.80 SEK 17.80
19.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$2.33 SEK 23.13
-36.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$1.90 SEK 18.87
-53.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.93 €6.16
$7.00 SEK 69.4
-1.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.83 €6.96
$12.21 SEK 121
-35.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.90 SEK 18.84
-26.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 €2.34
$2.21 SEK 21.90
19.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Taby
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.91 €2.59
$4.17 SEK 41.32
-30.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.46 €22.64
$101 SEK 1,002
-74.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 €2.66
$5.87 SEK 58.1
-48.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.55 SEK 15.38
-7.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.20 €29.53
$57.4 SEK 569
-42.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.84 SEK 18.22
1.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$33.3K SEK 330.3K
-2.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K €28.2K
$32.7K SEK 324.2K
-3.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Taby
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 €163
$177 SEK 1,758
2.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 €12.11
$27.61 SEK 274
-50.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.29
$40.66 SEK 403
-19.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Taby
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.7 €48.65
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.52 €14.70
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$17.11 SEK 170
-34.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Taby
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$954 €849
$156 SEK 1,543
512.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.8K
$16.3K SEK 161.4K
1.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Taby
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.0 €76.5
$98.0 SEK 971
-12.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.11 €34.78
$53.0 SEK 526
-26.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.2
$94.4 SEK 935
9.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$183 SEK 1,813
-35.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Taby
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 €1,508
$1,023 SEK 10.1K
65.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 €1,135
$870 SEK 8,625
46.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,576 €2,291
$1,411 SEK 14.0K
82.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,922 €1,710
$1,189 SEK 11.8K
61.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,281 €6,477
$5,994 SEK 59.4K
21.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,010 €4,456
$6,951 SEK 68.9K
-27.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Taby
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,227 €1,981
$3,306 SEK 32.8K
-32.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
2.8
17.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Taby: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Taby
$870 31.8% $406
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$325
Taby
$380 16.9% $55
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Taby
$267 1% $2.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$229
Taby
$246 7.2% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$156
Taby
$193 23.3% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$77
Taby
$34 * 55.7% $43
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Taby
$131 178% $84

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,023 in Taby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taby pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $66.0 in Taby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $380 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇸🇪 Taby
🕒 Local time
04:49 4:49 AM
04:49 4:49 AM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
58,123
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Taby 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Taby

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 Taby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Taby?
Barcelona and Taby differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,122 including rent). Taby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Taby. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Taby?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,023 in Taby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Taby?
Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $156 in Taby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $2,122 in Taby versus $2,381 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.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Taby?
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.
Is Barcelona or Taby safer for residents?
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.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Taby?
Expats usually find Taby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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