Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zatec

For one person, living is cheaper in Zatec: $1,232 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Zatec
Learn more

Zatec Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Zatec

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zatec

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,232 in Zatec.

Barcelona $2,381
Zatec $1,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $1,931 in Zatec.

Barcelona $3,406
Zatec $1,931

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $2,630 in Zatec.

Barcelona $4,431
Zatec $2,630

Living in Barcelona is roughly 93% more expensive than in Zatec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Zatec is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$6.77 Kč 146

164.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$18.11 Kč 392

265.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$8.92 Kč 193

53.48%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.95 Kč 63.9

3.73%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.71 Kč 15.31

332.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.88 Kč 18.98

120.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.33 Kč 50.5

66.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.71 Kč 58.5

70.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.83 Kč 17.85

56.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.33 Kč 28.76

57.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.24 Kč 48.54

-18.30%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.45 Kč 53.0

88.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$5.88 Kč 127

195.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$5.50 Kč 119

68.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$7.07 Kč 153

180.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.26 Kč 27.29

138.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.56 Kč 33.84

30.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.06 Kč 44.60

28.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.29 Kč 71.2

-12.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.94 Kč 20.25

129.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.09 Kč 23.63

97.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.54 Kč 33.38

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.55 Kč 11.99

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$5.92 Kč 128

17.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$5.36 Kč 116

46.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.89 Kč 19.21

56.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.70 Kč 36.86

54.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.33 Kč 7.22

781.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$25.19 Kč 545

1.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.79 Kč 60.4

7.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.85 Kč 39.96

-22.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$16.44 Kč 355

101.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.86 Kč 40.18

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$31.5K Kč 680.6K

2.77%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$30.1K Kč 651.7K

5.20%

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

$183 €163

$299 Kč 6,474

-38.95%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$22.74 Kč 492

-40.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$18.72 Kč 405

75.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$54.6 Kč 1,181

0.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$17.30 Kč 374

-4.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$12.95 Kč 280

-13.28%

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

$954 €849

$726 Kč 15.7K

31.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$11.4K Kč 247.4K

45.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$86.8 Kč 1,877

-0.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$36.82 Kč 796

6.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$45.55 Kč 985

127.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$120 Kč 2,602

-1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$360 Kč 7,792

370.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$318 Kč 6,886

300.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,210 Kč 26.2K

112.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$928 Kč 20.1K

107.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$4,620 Kč 99.9K

57.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$3,448 Kč 74.6K

45.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$1,146 Kč 24.8K

94.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.67

-29.76%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zatec: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Zatec

$318 25.9% 75.1% $958

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Zatec

$183 14.9% 43.6% $142

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Zatec

$140 11.4% 48.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Zatec

$341 27.7% 48.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Zatec

$130 10.6% 16.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Zatec

$80 6.5% 4.3% $3.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Zatec

$39 3.1% 18.5% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $360 in Zatec. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 94% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $18.00 in Zatec for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $183 per month, with Zatec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇨🇿 Zatec

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

19,522

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, 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).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Zatec 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zatec

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 Zatec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Zatec differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,232 including rent). Zatec is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $360 in Zatec. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $726 in Zatec. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,232 in Zatec versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zatec but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Zatec 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 Zatec 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 Zatec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.