Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Veldhoven

For one person, living is cheaper in Veldhoven: $1,241 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Veldhoven
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Veldhoven Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Veldhoven

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Veldhoven

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,241 in Veldhoven.

Barcelona $2,453
Veldhoven $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,863 in Veldhoven.

Barcelona $3,509
Veldhoven $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,486 in Veldhoven.

Barcelona $4,564
Veldhoven $4,486

Living in Barcelona is roughly 98% more expensive than in Veldhoven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Veldhoven is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$27.72 €24.84

-36.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$78.7 €70.6

-14.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$14.63 €13.11

-7.52%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.35 €3.90

-26.67%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.73 €3.35

-21.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.57 €3.20

-47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.76 €5.16

-30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$6.12 €5.48

-25.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.44 €1.29

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.12 €1.90

-4.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.37 €2.12

-21.94%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.25 €3.81

13.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.33 €11.95

25.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$12.96 €11.61

-29.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$16.47 €14.75

19.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.84 €2.55

4.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.40 €2.15

-15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.05 €1.84

31.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.28 €2.94

-14.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.47 €1.32

42.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.37 €1.23

51.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.28 €1.15

14.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.76 €0.68

23.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$14.12 €12.65

-51.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.53 €5.86

20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.45 €1.30

-2.76%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.60 €3.23

-16.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.00 €2.69

-50.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$38.52 €34.52

-13.37%

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

$42.1K €37.8K

-21.23%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$39.7K €35.5K

-20.10%

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

$180 €162

$201 €180

-10.34%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$22.33 €20.01

-38.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$42.65 €38.22

-20.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$49.89 €44.70

3.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.27 €13.69

-28.03%

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

$917 €821

$2,830 €2,536

-67.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,614 €7,719

91.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$97.0 €86.9

-10.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$43.06 €38.59

-10.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$107 €96.3

-1.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$132 €118

-9.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,685 €1,510

22.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,503 €4,035

-50.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.8

-13.68%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Veldhoven: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Veldhoven

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Veldhoven

$316 25.5% 1.7% $5.4

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Veldhoven

$388 31.3% 44.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Veldhoven

$266 21.5% 16.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Veldhoven

$171 13.8% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Veldhoven

$80 6.5% 9.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Veldhoven

$19 * 1.5% 61.6% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Veldhoven pays about 2 times 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 $79 in Veldhoven. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $316, with Veldhoven cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Veldhoven

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

45,466

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Veldhoven 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Veldhoven

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 Veldhoven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,241 in Veldhoven, so Veldhoven is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,830 in Veldhoven. 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 $1,241 in Veldhoven – Veldhoven is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,241 in Veldhoven versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Veldhoven but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Veldhoven 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 Veldhoven are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.