Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Wels

For one person, living is cheaper in Wels: $1,902 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,902

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Wels

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,902 in Wels.

Barcelona $2,453
Wels $1,902

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,820 in Wels.

Barcelona $3,509
Wels $2,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,737 in Wels.

Barcelona $4,564
Wels $3,737

Living in Barcelona is roughly 29% more expensive than in Wels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Wels 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$16.69 €14.96

5.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$83.9 €75.2

-19.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.12 €9.96

21.67%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.23 €3.79

-24.59%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.51 €3.15

-17.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.89 €2.59

-34.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.75 €5.16

-30.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.60 €5.02

-19.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.60 €1.43

-18.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.41 €2.16

-16.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.77 €1.59

4.52%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.76 €3.37

28.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$21.66 €19.41

-22.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.03 €11.67

-30.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$21.33 €19.12

-7.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.89 €2.59

3.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.82 €1.63

10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.81 €2.52

-3.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.85 €2.55

-1.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.51 €2.25

-16.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.63 €1.46

26.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.26 €2.03

-35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.77 €0.69

22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.39 €6.62

-7.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$9.11 €8.16

-13.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.81 €0.73

74.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.23 €2.00

13.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.74 €2.45

14.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$38.17 €34.20

-33.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$5.69 €5.10

-47.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.38 €2.13

-37.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$31.52 €28.25

5.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.86 €1.67

-3.23%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$30.2K €27.0K

9.98%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$29.8K €26.7K

6.27%

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

$180 €162

$333 €298

-45.79%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$13.86 €12.42

-0.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$38.47 €34.48

-12.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$44.07 €39.49

16.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$34.03 €30.49

-53.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.46 €12.06

-18.35%

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

$917 €821

$1,342 €1,202

-31.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$15.3K €13.7K

7.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$83.7 €75.0

3.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$58.5 €52.4

-34.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$111 €99.1

-4.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$128 €115

-6.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$674 €604

152.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$562 €504

141.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$958 €858

171.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$798 €715

158.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$4,193 €3,757

64.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$3,426 €3,070

49.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$3,121 €2,796

-29.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.5

-6.29%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wels: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Wels

$562 29.5% 58.5% $793

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Wels

$363 19.1% 12.8% $41

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Wels

$283 14.9% 5.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Wels

$385 20.3% 69% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Wels

$171 9% 8.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Wels

$71 3.7% 3.4% $2.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Wels

$67 3.5% 37.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $674 in Wels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wels 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 $84 in Wels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $363 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇹 Wels

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

59,853

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Wels 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Wels

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 Wels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,902 in Wels, so Wels is about 22% 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 $674 in Wels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,342 in Wels. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Wels 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 Wels are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.