Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Best: $2,198 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,198

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Best 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 Best and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,198 in Best versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Best $2,198
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,057 in Best versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Best $3,057
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,915 in Best versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Best $3,915
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Best costs roughly 10% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Best 62% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.20 €19.92

$17.59 €15.78

26.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 €77.1

$67.5 €60.6

27.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.12

$13.53 €12.14

-8.43%

Cappuccino

$3.50 €3.14

$3.19 €2.86

9.72%

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

$3.22 €2.89

$2.91 €2.61

10.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.31

$1.89 €1.70

35.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.10

$4.01 €3.60

41.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.33

$4.53 €4.06

6.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.31 €1.17

-14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.72

$2.02 €1.81

-4.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.85 €1.66

15.68%

Eggs

$3.18 €2.85

$4.83 €4.34

-34.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 €9.95

$16.74 €15.02

-33.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 €10.00

$9.12 €8.18

22.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 €13.37

$19.64 €17.62

-24.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 €1.76

$2.98 €2.67

-34.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.02 €1.81

-21.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.70 €2.42

-36.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 €4.60

$2.80 €2.52

82.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$2.09 €1.87

-44.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.07 €1.86

-43.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.46 €1.31

-28.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.94 €0.84

-17.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 €10.10

$6.87 €6.17

63.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$7.89 €7.08

-27.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.41 €1.26

1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$2.54 €2.27

3.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.23

$3.14 €2.82

-20.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.7 €65.2

$25.45 €22.83

185.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 €3.47

$2.99 €2.68

29.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.55

$1.49 €1.34

90.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.53 €26.49

$33.37 €29.95

-11.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.16

$1.80 €1.61

33.89%

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

$26.5K €23.8K

$33.2K €29.8K

-20.23%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.7K €28.4K

22.17%

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

$184 €165

$180 €162

1.74%

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

$14.85 €13.33

$13.84 €12.42

7.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.38 €34.44

$33.70 €30.24

13.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.88 €36.68

$51.5 €46.22

-20.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.29 €22.70

$15.96 €14.32

58.46%

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 €12.16

$10.99 €9.87

23.29%

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

$1,260 €1,131

$917 €823

37.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,129 €4,602

$16.5K €14.8K

-68.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 €45.87

$87.0 €78.1

-41.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 €29.75

$38.51 €34.55

-13.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 €65.0

$106 €94.9

-31.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 €51.8

$120 €107

-51.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,376

$1,699 €1,525

-9.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €985

$1,355 €1,216

-18.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,785

$2,603 €2,335

-23.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 €1,209

$2,062 €1,851

-34.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,622 €5,045

$6,915 €6,205

-18.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,407 €3,954

$5,128 €4,601

-14.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,005 €3,593

$2,211 €1,984

81.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

3.28

7.93%

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

Last update for Best: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Best

$1.1K 50%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 23.4% $257

Eating Out

Best

$318 14.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 15.8% $50

Groceries & Markets

Best

$280 12.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 14.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 3.7% $8.8

Getting Around

Best

$101 4.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 51.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$97 4.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 63.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 8.1% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Best and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Best pays 81% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $86 in Best vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $280 vs $322, with Best cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

Same time as Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Best Barcelona 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

Best vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,198 in Best and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Best is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Best, 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: $1,534 in Best versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,260 in Best versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Barcelona. 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, Best and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.