Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zeist

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,759 in Zeist, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Zeist
Learn more

Zeist Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Zeist

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zeist

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,759 in Zeist.

Barcelona $2,453
Zeist $2,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,797 in Zeist.

Barcelona $3,509
Zeist $3,797

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,835 in Zeist.

Barcelona $4,564
Zeist $4,835

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 11% less than in Zeist, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Zeist 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$22.66 €20.30

-22.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$79.8 €71.5

-15.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.42 €12.03

0.82%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.32 €3.87

-26.16%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.71 €3.32

-21.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.44 €3.09

-45.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.47 €4.90

-26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$5.09 €4.56

-11.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.49 €1.34

-12.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.34 €2.09

-13.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.75 €2.46

-32.73%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.89 €4.38

-1.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$13.58 €12.17

23.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$14.04 €12.58

-35.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$18.67 €16.73

5.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.65 €2.37

12.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.36 €2.12

-14.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.18 €1.95

23.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.43 €3.97

-36.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.76 €1.57

18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.85 €1.66

11.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.33 €1.19

9.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.09 €0.98

-13.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$14.00 €12.54

-50.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$6.67 €5.97

18.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.25 €1.12

12.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.78 €2.49

-8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.54 €3.17

-11.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$81.5 €73.1

-68.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.64 €3.26

-17.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.90 €1.71

-21.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$22.64 €20.29

47.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.38 €2.14

-24.37%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$41.6K €37.3K

-20.25%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$39.3K €35.2K

-19.33%

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

$180 €162

$245 €219

-26.30%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$26.20 €23.48

-47.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$47.73 €42.77

-29.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$41.52 €37.20

24.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$26.56 €23.80

-39.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$15.71 €14.08

-30.04%

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

$917 €821

$2,660 €2,384

-65.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,981 €7,151

106.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$95.4 €85.5

-8.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$39.52 €35.41

-2.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$88.0 €78.8

20.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$103 €92.2

16.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,431 €1,282

18.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,426 €1,278

-4.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,346 €2,102

10.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,859 €1,666

10.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$6,488 €5,814

6.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$5,606 €5,023

-8.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,256 €3,814

-48.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.65

-10.14%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zeist: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Zeist

$1.4K 51.7% 5.2% $71

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Zeist

$347 12.6% 7.7% $25

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Zeist

$340 12.3% 26.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Zeist

$319 11.6% 39.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Zeist

$147 5.3% 7.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Zeist

$73 2.6% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Zeist

$109 3.9% 125% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,431 in Zeist. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zeist pays 93% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $80 in Zeist for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $347 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇱 Zeist

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

65,987

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Zeist 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zeist

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 Zeist: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,759 in Zeist, so Barcelona is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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 $1,431 in Zeist. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,660 in Zeist. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Zeist. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Zeist on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.