Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Trollhattan Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Trollhattan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,630 in Trollhattan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $2,558 in Trollhattan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $3,486 in Trollhattan.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 45% more expensive than Trollhattan, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Trollhattan 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$12.17 SEK 114

44.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$81.5 SEK 764

-15.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$10.39 SEK 97.4

35.32%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$3.78 SEK 35.43

-26.46%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$1.34 SEK 12.53

108.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$1.34 SEK 12.55

53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$7.80 SEK 73.2

-42.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$8.07 SEK 75.7

-42.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.54 SEK 14.47

-19.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$2.25 SEK 21.10

-9.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$3.93 SEK 36.90

-51.15%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$3.99 SEK 37.39

-17.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$12.16 SEK 114

51.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$9.63 SEK 90.3

-1.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.49

$14.64 SEK 137

30.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.19 SEK 29.93

-17.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$2.62 SEK 24.61

-6.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$3.54 SEK 33.23

-40.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$3.59 SEK 33.68

-20.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$2.20 SEK 20.61

-7.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$2.00 SEK 18.73

-7.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$2.87 SEK 26.91

-48.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.86 SEK 17.41

-54.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$8.14 SEK 76.3

-12.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$14.27 SEK 134

-44.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.29 SEK 12.07

6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$1.67 SEK 15.63

38.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$3.41 SEK 31.96

-12.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.19

$74.4 SEK 698

-60.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$3.64 SEK 34.15

26.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$2.57 SEK 24.07

-19.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.12

$42.85 SEK 402

-31.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.90 SEK 17.82

-3.16%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$32.3K SEK 302.5K

20.94%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$33.7K SEK 316.2K

-3.02%

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

$188 €162

$192 SEK 1,798

-2.03%

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

$22.93 €19.74

$28.98 SEK 272

-20.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$31.06 SEK 291

18.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.39

$40.33 SEK 378

42.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$24.91 SEK 234

-16.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$14.50 SEK 136

-22.83%

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

$721 €621

$157 SEK 1,473

359.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$1,401 SEK 13.1K

973.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$84.1 SEK 789

2.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$31.31 SEK 294

18.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$84.3 SEK 791

21.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$122 SEK 1,147

-5.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,320

$630 SEK 5,911

143.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$481 SEK 4,511

153.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$1,120 SEK 10.5K

140.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,733

$802 SEK 7,523

150.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,216

$4,406 SEK 41.3K

63.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,467

$2,967 SEK 27.8K

74.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,031

$3,479 SEK 32.6K

-32.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

4.2

-19.29%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Trollhattan: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $630 in Trollhattan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trollhattan pays 47% 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 $81.0 in Trollhattan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $345 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 Trollhattan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Trollhattan differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,630 including rent). Trollhattan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Trollhattan earns 47% 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 $630 in Trollhattan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $157 in Trollhattan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,630 in Trollhattan versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Trollhattan but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Trollhattan 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 Trollhattan 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 Trollhattan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.