Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Vienna

For one person, living is cheaper in Vienna: $2,307 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Vienna
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Vienna Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Vienna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,307 in Vienna.

Barcelona $2,453
Vienna $2,307

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,489 in Vienna.

Barcelona $3,509
Vienna $3,489

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,671 in Vienna.

Barcelona $4,564
Vienna $4,671

Living in Barcelona is roughly 6% more expensive than in Vienna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Vienna 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$19.35 €17.38

-9.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$88.6 €79.6

-23.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$13.48 €12.11

0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.32 €4.78

-40.04%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$3.73 €3.35

-21.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.16 €2.84

-40.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$6.02 €5.41

-33.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.62 €5.05

-19.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.63 €1.46

-19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.18 €1.96

-7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.58 €2.31

-28.29%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$4.57 €4.10

5.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$13.69 €12.30

22.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$14.16 €12.72

-35.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$22.63 €20.33

-13.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.97 €2.66

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.21 €1.99

-8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$3.59 €3.22

-24.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.22 €3.79

-33.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.99 €1.79

5.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.87 €1.68

10.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.87 €1.68

-21.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.90 €0.81

4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$7.43 €6.68

-7.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$8.43 €7.57

-6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.53 €1.38

-7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.85 €1.66

37.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.50 €3.14

-10.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$56.9 €51.1

-55.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$5.47 €4.91

-45.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.15 €1.93

-30.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$45.49 €40.86

-26.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.97 €1.77

-8.63%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$30.1K €27.1K

10.15%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$32.1K €28.9K

-1.40%

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

$180 €162

$321 €289

-43.86%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$14.48 €13.01

-4.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$31.90 €28.66

5.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$37.15 €33.37

38.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$28.06 €25.20

-43.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$13.84 €12.43

-20.59%

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

$917 €823

$397 €356

131.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$28.3K €25.4K

-41.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$88.3 €79.3

-1.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$38.74 €34.80

-0.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$93.1 €83.6

13.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$132 €119

-9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,359 €1,221

25.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$935 €840

44.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,552 €2,292

2.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,628 €1,463

26.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$13.8K €12.4K

-49.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$5,925 €5,323

-13.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$3,478 €3,124

-36.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.41

-3.81%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vienna: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Vienna

$935 40.5% 31% $420

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Vienna

$366 15.9% 13.8% $44

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Vienna

$328 14.2% 22.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Vienna

$368 15.9% 61.3% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Vienna

$159 6.9% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Vienna

$65 2.8% 11.8% $8.7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Vienna

$87 3.8% 79.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,359 in Vienna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vienna pays 57% 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 $89 in Vienna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $366 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇹 Vienna

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,920,949 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Vienna 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Vienna

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 Vienna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Vienna differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $2,307 including rent). Vienna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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 $1,359 in Vienna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $397 in Vienna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Vienna 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 Vienna are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.