Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Varnamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Varnamo: $1,692 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Varnamo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,692 in Varnamo.

Barcelona $2,453
Varnamo $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,672 in Varnamo.

Barcelona $3,509
Varnamo $2,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,652 in Varnamo.

Barcelona $4,564
Varnamo $3,652

Living in Barcelona is roughly 45% more expensive than in Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Varnamo 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$13.01 SEK 128

35.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$89.7 SEK 881

-24.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$12.23 SEK 120

10.63%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.68 SEK 45.94

-31.84%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.72 SEK 26.68

6.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.13 SEK 20.91

-11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.81 SEK 76.7

-48.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.08 SEK 69.6

-36.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.71 SEK 16.84

-23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.50 SEK 24.53

-19.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.54 SEK 34.80

-47.74%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.63 SEK 45.45

4.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$12.57 SEK 123

33.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$11.73 SEK 115

-22.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$15.69 SEK 154

25.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.11 SEK 30.57

-4.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.55 SEK 25.03

-20.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.82 SEK 27.67

-4.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.52 SEK 44.38

-38.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.72 SEK 16.93

21.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.41 SEK 13.86

46.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.57 SEK 25.24

-43.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.52 SEK 14.96

-38.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.81 SEK 76.7

-12.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$11.14 SEK 109

-29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.93 SEK 19.00

-26.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.64 SEK 25.96

-3.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.19 SEK 31.35

-1.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$74.7 SEK 734

-65.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.04 SEK 49.51

-40.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.08 SEK 10.59

37.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$41.06 SEK 403

-18.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.72 SEK 16.88

4.65%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.6K SEK 329.7K

-1.14%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$34.2K SEK 336.3K

-7.44%

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

$180 €162

$77.0 SEK 756

134.45%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$17.22 SEK 169

-19.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$30.45 SEK 299

10.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$39.03 SEK 383

31.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$22.33 SEK 219

-28.53%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.36 SEK 151

-28.45%

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

$917 €821

$157 SEK 1,540

484.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$4,450 SEK 43.7K

270.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$80.4 SEK 790

8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$56.8 SEK 557

-32.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$99.9 SEK 981

5.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$123 SEK 1,209

-2.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$794 SEK 7,800

113.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$612 SEK 6,006

121.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,178 SEK 11.6K

120.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$985 SEK 9,670

109.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,023 SEK 39.5K

71.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,853 SEK 28.0K

79.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,032 SEK 20.0K

8.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.03

8.25%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 54.9% $744

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 10.9% $35

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 0.6% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 45.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 2.6% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 5.1% $3.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 102% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $794 in Varnamo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $90 in Varnamo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $357 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

19,778

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Varnamo 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,692 in Varnamo, so Varnamo is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $794 in Varnamo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $157 in Varnamo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Varnamo 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 Varnamo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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