Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Zell am see

For one person, living is cheaper in Zell am see: $2,284 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
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Zell am see Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Zell am see

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 Zell am see actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,284 in Zell am see.

Barcelona $2,443
Zell am see $2,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $3,355 in Zell am see.

Barcelona $3,519
Zell am see $3,355

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $4,427 in Zell am see.

Barcelona $4,595
Zell am see $4,427

Living in Barcelona is roughly 7% more expensive than in Zell am see, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Zell am see 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$16.93 €15.04

4.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$83.3 €74.0

-19.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$9.92 €8.82

37.20%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$4.18 €3.72

-25.84%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$3.43 €3.04

-12.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.93 €2.60

-34.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$5.61 €4.98

-31.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$5.29 €4.70

-17.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.72 €1.53

-27.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.46 €2.18

-13.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.44 €2.17

-19.26%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$4.58 €4.07

3.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$21.53 €19.13

-20.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$12.72 €11.30

-29.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$21.30 €18.92

-3.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.90 €2.58

8.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.59 €2.30

-23.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.43 €3.05

-22.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$3.98 €3.54

-27.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.48 €2.21

-16.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.12 €2.77

-30.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.23 €1.98

-31.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.22 €1.08

-20.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$7.92 €7.03

-11.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$8.78 €7.80

-10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.30 €1.15

9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.21 €1.96

21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.76 €2.45

19.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$56.9 €50.6

-55.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.85 €2.53

8.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.91 €0.81

62.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$30.99 €27.53

6.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.76 €1.56

6.25%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$30.4K €27.0K

8.45%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$30.6K €27.1K

4.56%

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

$183 €162

$342 €304

-46.51%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$15.74 €13.98

-9.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$37.72 €33.51

-8.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$40.28 €35.78

27.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

$22.52 €20.01

-27.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$15.60 €13.86

-29.10%

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

$944 €838

$443 €394

112.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$15.8K €14.1K

40.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$84.7 €75.2

3.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$60.1 €53.4

-35.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$113 €100

-7.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$123 €110

-4.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$1,011 €898

67.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$900 €799

48.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$1,571 €1,395

71.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$1,409 €1,251

47.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$7,018 €6,234

1.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$5,784 €5,138

-12.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.5

-8.86%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zell am see: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Zell am see

$900 39.4% 32.7% $437

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Zell am see

$391 17.1% 19.4% $64

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Zell am see

$279 12.2% 4.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Zell am see

$395 17.3% 70.6% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Zell am see

$171 7.5% 9.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Zell am see

$71 3.1% 2.8% $2.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Zell am see

$75 3.3% 52.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,011 in Zell am see. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $83 in Zell am see for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $391 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

10,131

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Zell am see 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Zell am see

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 Zell am see: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,284 in Zell am see, so Zell am see is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $3,426 in Zell am see 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,011 in Zell am see. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $443 in Zell am see. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Zell am see 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 Zell am see are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.