Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tilburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,536 in Tilburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Tilburg despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Tilburg
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Tilburg Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Tilburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Tilburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,536 in Tilburg.

Barcelona $2,453
Tilburg $2,536

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,661 in Tilburg.

Barcelona $3,509
Tilburg $3,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,786 in Tilburg.

Barcelona $4,564
Tilburg $4,786

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 3% less than in Tilburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Tilburg 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.54 €20.20

-21.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$87.3 €78.2

-22.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.88 €11.54

5.05%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.52 €3.15

-9.38%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.33 €2.99

-12.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.17 €2.84

-40.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.23 €6.48

-44.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.68 €5.09

-20.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.21 €1.08

8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.26 €2.03

-10.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.53 €2.27

-26.88%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.87 €4.36

-0.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.46 €12.06

24.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$15.62 €14.00

-41.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$15.15 €13.58

29.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.76 €2.47

7.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.46 €2.20

-17.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.87 €1.67

44.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.06 €4.53

-44.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.65 €1.48

26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.87 €1.68

10.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.27 €1.14

14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.73 €0.66

28.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$13.85 €12.41

-50.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.67 €5.98

18.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.47 €1.32

-4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.60 €2.33

-2.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.30 €3.86

-26.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$150 €135

-83.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.92 €3.51

-23.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.30 €2.06

-35.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$32.56 €29.17

2.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.53 €2.27

-28.85%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$40.8K €36.5K

-18.58%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$39.1K €35.1K

-18.98%

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

$180 €162

$186 €167

-3.14%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$14.90 €13.35

-7.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$55.4 €49.66

-39.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$32.87 €29.45

56.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$16.48 €14.77

-3.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$14.28 €12.80

-23.04%

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

$917 €821

$2,204 €1,975

-58.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$11.8K €10.5K

40.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$88.2 €79.0

-1.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$28.82 €25.82

33.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$112 €100.0

-5.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$154 €138

-22.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,505 €1,348

12.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,190 €1,066

13.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,209 €1,979

17.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,705 €1,528

20.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$5,777 €5,177

19.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,726 €3,339

37.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,227 €2,892

-31.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.83

-14.36%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tilburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Tilburg

$1.2K 46.9% 12.2% $165

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Tilburg

$338 13.3% 5% $16

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Tilburg

$335 13.2% 24.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Tilburg

$257 10.1% 12.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Tilburg

$172 6.8% 9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Tilburg

$61 2.4% 16.4% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Tilburg

$183 7.2% 278% $135

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,505 in Tilburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tilburg pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $87 in Tilburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $338 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Tilburg

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

227,707

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Tilburg 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Tilburg

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 Tilburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,536 in Tilburg, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,505 in Tilburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,204 in Tilburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Tilburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Tilburg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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