Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Villingen-Schwenningen

For one person, living is cheaper in Villingen-Schwenningen: $1,846 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Villingen-Schwenningen
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Villingen-Schwenningen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Villingen-Schwenningen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Villingen-Schwenningen

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 Villingen-Schwenningen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $1,846 in Villingen-Schwenningen.

Barcelona $2,399
Villingen-Schwenningen $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,844 in Villingen-Schwenningen.

Barcelona $3,410
Villingen-Schwenningen $2,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,842 in Villingen-Schwenningen.

Barcelona $4,421
Villingen-Schwenningen $3,842

Living in Barcelona is roughly 30% more expensive than in Villingen-Schwenningen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Villingen-Schwenningen 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$15.34 €13.65

16.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$55.9 €49.72

21.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$10.24 €9.10

29.69%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$3.39 €3.02

-4.13%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$3.40 €3.02

-11.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.30 €2.04

-18.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.09 €4.53

-24.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$4.37 €3.89

2.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.22 €1.09

5.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.07 €1.84

-1.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.95 €2.63

-41.69%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$2.50 €2.22

90.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$9.86 €8.77

70.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$11.30 €10.05

-20.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$15.31 €13.62

29.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.97 €2.64

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.63 €1.45

24.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.10 €1.87

30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.96 €3.53

-32.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.28 €1.14

64.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.28 €1.14

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.36 €1.21

6.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.09 €0.97

-18.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$9.69 €8.62

-28.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$3.86 €3.44

101.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.22 €1.08

18.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.54 €1.37

66.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.36 €2.99

-11.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$66.4 €59.0

-62.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$4.92 €4.38

-36.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.72 €2.42

-47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$42.34 €37.66

-20.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.04 €1.81

-12.25%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$32.6K €29.0K

6.17%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$37.8K €33.7K

-20.53%

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

$178 €158

$481 €428

-63.03%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$15.63 €13.91

-14.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$46.05 €40.96

-24.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$38.88 €34.58

36.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$24.16 €21.49

-33.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$9.97 €8.87

10.93%

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

$957 €851

$261 €232

266.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$17.3K €15.4K

-4.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$85.2 €75.8

3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$59.4 €52.9

-33.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$113 €101

-9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$108 €96.0

12.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$767 €683

115.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$449 €399

190.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,473 €1,310

73.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,128 €1,004

69.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$4,673 €4,157

55.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$3,581 €3,185

41.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,993 €3,552

-42.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.81

-13.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Villingen-Schwenningen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Villingen-Schwenningen

$449 24.3% 65.5% $853

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Villingen-Schwenningen

$281 15.3% 12.1% $39

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Villingen-Schwenningen

$251 13.6% 7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Villingen-Schwenningen

$543 29.4% 140% $317

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Villingen-Schwenningen

$165 8.9% 3.9% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Villingen-Schwenningen

$59 3.2% 22% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Villingen-Schwenningen

$98 5.3% 107% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $767 in Villingen-Schwenningen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Villingen-Schwenningen pays 75% 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 $56.0 in Villingen-Schwenningen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $281 per month, with Villingen-Schwenningen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇩🇪 Villingen-Schwenningen

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

81,128

💱 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 Villingen-Schwenningen 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Villingen-Schwenningen

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 Villingen-Schwenningen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Villingen-Schwenningen differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $1,846 including rent). Villingen-Schwenningen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Villingen-Schwenningen. 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 $767 in Villingen-Schwenningen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $261 in Villingen-Schwenningen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,846 in Villingen-Schwenningen versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Villingen-Schwenningen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Villingen-Schwenningen 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 Villingen-Schwenningen 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 Villingen-Schwenningen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.