Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,056 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Welkom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,056 in Welkom.

Barcelona $2,381
Welkom $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,603 in Welkom.

Barcelona $3,406
Welkom $1,603

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,150 in Welkom.

Barcelona $4,431
Welkom $2,150

Living in Barcelona is roughly 125% more expensive than in Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Welkom is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$9.27 R 153

92.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$21.37 R 352

209.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$5.27 R 86.8

159.77%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.32 R 38.18

31.90%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.51 R 8.34

501.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.58 R 9.61

234.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.23 R 20.29

214.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$1.55 R 25.57

197.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.00 R 16.52

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.01 R 16.68

107.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.37 R 22.56

33.58%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.88 R 30.94

145.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$6.82 R 112

154.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$4.72 R 77.8

96.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$5.01 R 82.5

295.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.53 R 25.22

96.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.67 R 27.58

21.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.72 R 28.41

54.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.21 R 19.92

137.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.10 R 18.05

96.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.24 R 20.48

73.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.93 R 15.37

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.35 R 22.31

-34.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.45 R 40.31

182.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$2.44 R 40.21

220.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.53 R 25.22

-9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.78 R 29.41

47.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.46 R 23.99

99.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$0.31 R 5.17

867.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.81 R 13.39

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$14.69 R 242

126.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.57 R 25.84

18.47%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$35.2K R 579.2K

-8.01%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$34.6K R 570.3K

-8.42%

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

$183 €163

$152 R 2,502

20.33%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$37.50 R 618

-63.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$37.90 R 624

-13.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$32.20 R 531

69.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$9.68 R 159

70.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$7.18 R 118

56.41%

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

$954 €849

$260 R 4,279

267.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$5,614 R 92.5K

195.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$53.6 R 883

60.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$32.13 R 529

21.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$91.4 R 1,506

13.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$82.4 R 1,357

44.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$392 R 6,457

332.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$359 R 5,920

255.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$733 R 12.1K

251.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$743 R 12.2K

158.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$749 R 12.3K

871.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$651 R 10.7K

669.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

11.34

-71.08%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Welkom

$359 34% 71.8% $917

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Welkom

$165 15.6% 49.3% $160

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Welkom

$131 12.4% 51.3% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Welkom

$227 21.5% 0.9% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 25.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Welkom

$47 4.4% 39.7% $31

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Welkom

$10 * 1% 78.4% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $392 in Welkom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $21.00 in Welkom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $165 per month, with Welkom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

64,130

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Welkom 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Welkom differ by about 125% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,056 including rent). Welkom is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $1,584 in Welkom to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $392 in Welkom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $260 in Welkom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Welkom – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,056 in Welkom versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Welkom but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Welkom 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 Welkom 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 Welkom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.