Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bialystok and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Bialystok: $1,461 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Bialystok
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Bialystok Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Bialystok

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,461

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,461 in Bialystok versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Bialystok $1,461
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,069 in Bialystok versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Bialystok $2,069
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,676 in Bialystok versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Bialystok $2,676
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Bialystok costs roughly 39% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bialystok 8% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 zł 38.49

$17.89 €15.92

-44.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.57 zł 177

$66.2 €58.9

-31.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 zł 34.37

$13.69 €12.18

-35.35%

Cappuccino

$3.55 zł 13.78

$3.06 €2.72

16.01%

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

$1.90 zł 7.40

$3.07 €2.73

-38.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 zł 5.87

$1.94 €1.73

-22.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 zł 13.88

$3.87 €3.44

-7.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 zł 11.75

$4.61 €4.10

-34.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 zł 4.14

$1.30 €1.16

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 zł 3.88

$2.10 €1.87

-52.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 zł 8.65

$1.83 €1.62

21.86%

Eggs

$3.76 zł 14.59

$4.62 €4.11

-18.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 zł 36.49

$17.36 €15.44

-45.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.62 zł 21.84

$9.28 €8.25

-39.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 zł 43.61

$19.83 €17.64

-43.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 zł 4.83

$3.01 €2.68

-58.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.84

$2.03 €1.81

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 zł 6.19

$2.65 €2.36

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 zł 7.90

$2.87 €2.55

-29.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 zł 4.10

$2.16 €1.92

-50.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 zł 4.61

$2.15 €1.91

-44.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 zł 4.55

$1.47 €1.31

-20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 zł 2.35

$0.88 €0.79

-31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 zł 19.75

$6.93 €6.16

-26.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.12 zł 23.78

$7.83 €6.96

-21.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 zł 4.73

$1.39 €1.24

-12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 zł 5.97

$2.63 €2.34

-41.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 zł 4.16

$2.91 €2.59

-63.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.47 zł 130

$25.46 €22.64

31.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 zł 8.19

$3.00 €2.66

-29.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 zł 2.55

$1.44 €1.28

-54.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.02 zł 50.6

$33.20 €29.53

-60.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 zł 6.29

$1.86 €1.65

-12.90%

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

$30.8K zł 119.8K

$32.3K €28.8K

-4.68%

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

$28.8K zł 112.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

-9.06%

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

$299 zł 1,164

$183 €163

63.86%

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

$8.25 zł 32.05

$13.61 €12.11

-39.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.22 zł 70.8

$32.93 €29.29

-44.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 zł 161

$54.7 €48.65

-24.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.67 zł 108

$16.52 €14.70

67.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 zł 32.07

$11.23 €9.99

-26.54%

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

$351 zł 1,363

$954 €849

-63.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,337 zł 16.9K

$16.6K €14.8K

-73.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.1 zł 381

$86.0 €76.5

14.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 zł 142

$39.11 €34.78

-6.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 zł 338

$104 €92.2

-15.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 zł 343

$119 €106

-25.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 zł 2,113

$1,695 €1,508

-67.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 zł 1,951

$1,276 €1,135

-60.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 zł 3,194

$2,576 €2,291

-68.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 zł 2,786

$1,922 €1,710

-62.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,669 zł 10.4K

$7,281 €6,477

-63.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,324 zł 9,030

$5,010 €4,456

-53.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,447 zł 5,622

$2,227 €1,981

-35.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

3.28

115.55%

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

Last update for Bialystok: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bialystok

$502 34.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 154% $774

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bialystok

$326 22.3%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 29.6% $97

Groceries & Markets

Bialystok

$207 14.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 57.2% $118

Eating Out

Bialystok

$186 12.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 44.9% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Bialystok

$140 9.6%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 12% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bialystok

$58 4%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 33.2% $19

Getting Around

Bialystok

$43 3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 9.7% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $544 in Bialystok and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 54% 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: $46.00 in Bialystok vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $325 per month, with Bialystok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bialystok

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

Same time as Bialystok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,554

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bialystok Barcelona 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bialystok
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

Bialystok vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bialystok and Barcelona differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($1,461 vs $2,381 including rent). Bialystok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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: $544 in Bialystok versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $351 in Bialystok versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,461 in Bialystok versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bialystok but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Bialystok 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, Bialystok 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 Bialystok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.