Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Vaxjo

For one person, living is cheaper in Vaxjo: $1,665 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Vaxjo
Learn more

Vaxjo Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Vaxjo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Vaxjo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,665 in Vaxjo.

Barcelona $2,453
Vaxjo $1,665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,500 in Vaxjo.

Barcelona $3,509
Vaxjo $2,500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,335 in Vaxjo.

Barcelona $4,564
Vaxjo $3,335

Living in Barcelona is roughly 47% more expensive than in Vaxjo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Vaxjo 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$13.39 SEK 132

31.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$66.2 SEK 650

1.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.95 SEK 97.7

35.98%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.04 SEK 39.64

-21.04%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.52 SEK 14.92

91.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.32 SEK 12.94

43.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$7.04 SEK 69.2

-43.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.50 SEK 63.9

-30.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.71 SEK 16.75

-23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.50 SEK 24.54

-19.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.88 SEK 38.06

-52.32%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.38 SEK 43.03

10.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.31 SEK 131

25.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$10.59 SEK 104

-13.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$11.83 SEK 116

66.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.28 SEK 32.16

-9.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.97 SEK 19.33

2.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.00 SEK 19.60

35.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.81 SEK 47.25

-41.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.42 SEK 13.92

47.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.53 SEK 15.00

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.21 SEK 21.74

-33.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.37 SEK 13.48

-31.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.30 SEK 71.6

-5.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$7.54 SEK 74.1

4.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.91 SEK 18.79

-26.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.64 SEK 16.13

54.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.16 SEK 31.01

-0.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$66.3 SEK 651

-61.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$8.00 SEK 78.5

-62.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.96 SEK 19.22

-23.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$80.0 SEK 786

-58.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.68 SEK 16.46

7.14%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$33.4K SEK 328.0K

-0.64%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$32.7K SEK 321.2K

-3.08%

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

$180 €162

$88.9 SEK 873

103.03%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$29.71 SEK 292

-53.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$30.34 SEK 298

11.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$35.47 SEK 348

45.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$20.40 SEK 200

-21.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$16.15 SEK 159

-31.95%

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

$917 €821

$153 SEK 1,505

498.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$100 SEK 986

-13.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$29.84 SEK 293

29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$71.5 SEK 702

47.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$85.8 SEK 842

39.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$812 SEK 7,969

109.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$653 SEK 6,412

107.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,499 SEK 14.7K

73.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$944 SEK 9,265

118.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$2,523 SEK 24.8K

103.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,119 SEK 30.6K

-29.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.13

-20.58%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vaxjo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Vaxjo

$653 39.2% 51.8% $702

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Vaxjo

$324 19.5% 0.7% $2.4

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Vaxjo

$245 14.7% 8.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Vaxjo

$149 8.9% 34.7% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Vaxjo

$129 7.8% 18.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Vaxjo

$68 4.1% 7.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Vaxjo

$97 5.8% 99.5% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $812 in Vaxjo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vaxjo pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $66 in Vaxjo. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $324, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇸🇪 Vaxjo

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

55,600

💱 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 Vaxjo 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Vaxjo

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 Vaxjo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,665 in Vaxjo, so Vaxjo is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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 $812 in Vaxjo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $153 in Vaxjo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $1,665 in Vaxjo – Vaxjo is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,665 in Vaxjo versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vaxjo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Vaxjo 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 Vaxjo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.