Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Békéscsaba and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Békéscsaba: $1,125 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Békéscsaba
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Békéscsaba Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Békéscsaba

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,125

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Békéscsaba and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Békéscsaba and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,125 in Békéscsaba versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Békéscsaba $1,125
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,647 in Békéscsaba versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Békéscsaba $1,647
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,169 in Békéscsaba versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Békéscsaba $2,169
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Békéscsaba costs roughly 53% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Békéscsaba is 17% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.00 Ft 2,906

$17.89 €15.92

-49.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.36 Ft 14.7K

$66.2 €58.9

-31.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 Ft 1,779

$13.69 €12.18

-59.75%

Cappuccino

$2.22 Ft 718

$3.06 €2.72

-27.45%

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

$1.38 Ft 446

$3.07 €2.73

-55.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 Ft 286

$1.94 €1.73

-54.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 Ft 354

$3.87 €3.44

-71.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 Ft 395

$4.61 €4.10

-73.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 Ft 387

$1.30 €1.16

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 Ft 475

$2.10 €1.87

-30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 Ft 706

$1.83 €1.62

19.67%

Eggs

$3.23 Ft 1,044

$4.62 €4.11

-30.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.88 Ft 3,193

$17.36 €15.44

-43.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 Ft 2,182

$9.28 €8.25

-27.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 Ft 4,692

$19.83 €17.64

-26.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 Ft 628

$3.01 €2.68

-35.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 659

$2.03 €1.81

0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 Ft 509

$2.65 €2.36

-40.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 Ft 924

$2.87 €2.55

-0.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$2.16 €1.92

-53.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 Ft 326

$2.15 €1.91

-53.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 Ft 344

$1.47 €1.31

-27.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Ft 155

$0.88 €0.79

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.97 Ft 2,575

$6.93 €6.16

15.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.08 Ft 995

$7.83 €6.96

-60.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 Ft 338

$1.39 €1.24

-24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 Ft 690

$2.63 €2.34

-19.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 Ft 410

$2.91 €2.59

-56.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 Ft 883

$3.00 €2.66

-9.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$1.44 €1.28

-7.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 Ft 2,028

$33.20 €29.53

-81.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 Ft 599

$1.86 €1.65

-0.54%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.3M

$32.3K €28.8K

-11.34%

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

$34.6K Ft 11.2M

$31.7K €28.2K

9.12%

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

$174 Ft 56.1K

$183 €163

-5.02%

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

$23.76 Ft 7,675

$13.61 €12.11

74.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.51 Ft 6,949

$32.93 €29.29

-34.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.92 Ft 11.0K

$54.7 €48.65

-37.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 Ft 3,058

$11.23 €9.99

-15.67%

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

$548 Ft 176.9K

$954 €849

-42.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K Ft 5.5M

$16.6K €14.8K

2.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.1 Ft 32.0K

$86.0 €76.5

15.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.41 Ft 10.1K

$39.11 €34.78

-19.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 Ft 19.9K

$104 €92.2

-40.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 Ft 38.2K

$119 €106

-0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 Ft 137.5K

$1,695 €1,508

-74.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 Ft 109.3K

$1,276 €1,135

-73.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 Ft 179.9K

$2,576 €2,291

-78.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 Ft 140.6K

$1,922 €1,710

-77.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,526 Ft 493.1K

$7,281 €6,477

-79.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 Ft 386.7K

$5,010 €4,456

-76.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,398 Ft 451.8K

$2,227 €1,981

-37.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.28

96.65%

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

Last update for Békéscsaba: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Békéscsaba

$338 30.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 277% $938

Groceries & Markets

Békéscsaba

$229 20.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 42.2% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Békéscsaba

$219 19.5%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 4.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Békéscsaba

$140 12.4%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 12% $17

Eating Out

Békéscsaba

$132 11.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 104% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Békéscsaba

$53 4.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 46% $24

Getting Around

Békéscsaba

$14 * 1.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 227% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $425 in Békéscsaba and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 59% 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: $45.00 in Békéscsaba vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $325 per month, with Békéscsaba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Békéscsaba

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

Same time as Békéscsaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,460

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Békéscsaba Barcelona 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Békéscsaba
Barcelona

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

Békéscsaba vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Békéscsaba and Barcelona differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($1,125 vs $2,381 including rent). Békéscsaba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% 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: $425 in Békéscsaba versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $548 in Békéscsaba versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Békéscsaba – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,125 in Békéscsaba versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Békéscsaba but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Békéscsaba 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, Békéscsaba and Barcelona 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 Békéscsaba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.