Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zalaegerszeg

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalaegerszeg: $1,078 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Zalaegerszeg
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Zalaegerszeg Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Zalaegerszeg

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zalaegerszeg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,078 in Zalaegerszeg.

Barcelona $2,453
Zalaegerszeg $1,078

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,621 in Zalaegerszeg.

Barcelona $3,509
Zalaegerszeg $1,621

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $2,164 in Zalaegerszeg.

Barcelona $4,564
Zalaegerszeg $2,164

Living in Barcelona is roughly 128% more expensive than in Zalaegerszeg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Zalaegerszeg is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$13.57 Ft 4,442

29.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$61.7 Ft 20.2K

9.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.22 Ft 3,018

46.75%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.82 Ft 923

13.12%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.00 Ft 653

45.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.27 Ft 417

48.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.02 Ft 662

98.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.07 Ft 676

118.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.18 Ft 387

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.40 Ft 458

44.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.35 Ft 770

-21.28%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.43 Ft 1,124

40.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$10.93 Ft 3,577

53.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$5.79 Ft 1,896

57.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$12.49 Ft 4,088

57.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.86 Ft 607

60.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.10 Ft 686

-3.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.97 Ft 645

37.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$3.88 Ft 1,269

-27.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.04 Ft 340

100.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.02 Ft 335

102.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.34 Ft 439

8.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.58 Ft 191

62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$8.12 Ft 2,658

-15.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.16 Ft 2,017

28.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.07 Ft 351

31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.10 Ft 686

20.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.11 Ft 363

182.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$18.02 Ft 5,898

41.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.26 Ft 1,067

-8.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.19 Ft 391

25.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$20.17 Ft 6,604

65.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.85 Ft 607

-2.70%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$28.4K Ft 9.3M

16.92%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$33.8K Ft 11.1M

-6.35%

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

$180 €162

$146 Ft 47.8K

23.51%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$23.29 Ft 7,624

-40.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$22.99 Ft 7,527

46.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$39.71 Ft 13.0K

29.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$36.90 Ft 12.1K

-56.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$7.62 Ft 2,494

44.23%

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

$917 €821

$211 Ft 69.1K

334.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$16.3K Ft 5.3M

1.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$30.58 Ft 10.0K

184.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$24.07 Ft 7,879

59.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$50.8 Ft 16.6K

108.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$54.8 Ft 17.9K

118.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$339 Ft 111.1K

400.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$293 Ft 95.9K

362.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$450 Ft 147.3K

478.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$307 Ft 100.6K

571.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,857 Ft 607.8K

272.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,510 Ft 494.2K

239.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$771 Ft 252.4K

186.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.45

-49.15%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zalaegerszeg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Zalaegerszeg

$293 27.2% 78.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Zalaegerszeg

$237 22% 26.5% $85

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Zalaegerszeg

$197 18.3% 26.3% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Zalaegerszeg

$192 17.8% 15.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Zalaegerszeg

$72 6.7% 54.4% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Zalaegerszeg

$55 5.1% 25.2% $19

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Zalaegerszeg

$32 2.9% 34.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $339 in Zalaegerszeg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $62 in Zalaegerszeg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $237 per month, with Zalaegerszeg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇭🇺 Zalaegerszeg

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

55,152

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Zalaegerszeg 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zalaegerszeg

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 Zalaegerszeg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,078 in Zalaegerszeg, so Zalaegerszeg is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $339 in Zalaegerszeg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $211 in Zalaegerszeg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Zalaegerszeg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Zalaegerszeg are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Zalaegerszeg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.