Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Turnhout

For one person, living is cheaper in Turnhout: $2,127 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Turnhout
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Turnhout Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Turnhout

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Turnhout

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,127 in Turnhout.

Barcelona $2,399
Turnhout $2,127

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,076 in Turnhout.

Barcelona $3,410
Turnhout $3,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,024 in Turnhout.

Barcelona $4,421
Turnhout $4,024

Living in Barcelona is roughly 13% more expensive than in Turnhout, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Turnhout 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$22.68 €20.17

-20.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$64.0 €57.0

6.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$15.58 €13.86

-14.76%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$4.25 €3.78

-23.53%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.09 €2.75

-2.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.73 €2.43

-31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.19 €4.62

-25.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.67 €4.16

-4.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.08 €0.96

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.63 €1.45

25.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.13 €1.90

-19.25%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.98 €3.54

19.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$9.93 €8.83

68.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$9.12 €8.11

-2.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$19.36 €17.22

2.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.77 €2.47

7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.41 €2.14

-15.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.51 €2.23

8.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.85 €2.53

-5.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.12 €1.89

-0.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.93 €1.71

7.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.09 €0.97

33.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.07 €0.95

-16.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$12.99 €11.55

-46.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$5.06 €4.50

53.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.64 €1.46

-11.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.37 €2.11

8.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.77 €2.46

7.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$49.54 €44.07

-49.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$11.30 €10.05

-72.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.93 €2.61

-50.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$52.3 €46.56

-36.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.93 €1.71

-7.25%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$34.8K €30.9K

-0.36%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$33.7K €29.9K

-10.69%

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

$178 €158

$225 €200

-21.02%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$21.17 €18.83

-37.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$47.30 €42.07

-26.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$125 €111

-57.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$22.43 €19.95

-28.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$13.60 €12.10

-18.68%

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

$957 €851

$547 €487

74.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$21.1K €18.7K

-21.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$106 €94.0

-16.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$46.94 €41.75

-15.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$108 €95.9

-4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$148 €132

-18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$910 €809

81.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$785 €699

65.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,236 €1,100

106.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,105 €983

73.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,592 €2,305

-12.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.2

2.50%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Turnhout: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Turnhout

$786 36.9% 39.7% $516

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Turnhout

$288 13.5% 10% $32

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Turnhout

$338 15.9% 25.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Turnhout

$294 13.8% 29.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Turnhout

$184 8.7% 16.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Turnhout

$152 7.1% 101% $76

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Turnhout

$87 4.1% 82.4% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $910 in Turnhout. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Turnhout pays 14% 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 $64.0 in Turnhout for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $288 per month, with Turnhout cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇪 Turnhout

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

44,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Turnhout 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Turnhout

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 Turnhout: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Turnhout differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,127 including rent). Turnhout is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Turnhout. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $910 in Turnhout. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $547 in Turnhout. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,127 in Turnhout versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Turnhout but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Turnhout 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 Turnhout 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 Turnhout gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.