Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braunschweig and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Braunschweig: $1,738 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Braunschweig
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Braunschweig Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Braunschweig

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,738

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Braunschweig versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Braunschweig $1,738
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,809 in Braunschweig versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Braunschweig $2,809
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,879 in Braunschweig versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Braunschweig $3,879
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Braunschweig costs roughly 29% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Braunschweig 29% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 €14.86

$17.66 €15.69

-5.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 €70.2

$67.5 €59.9

17.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.87

$13.61 €12.09

-18.37%

Cappuccino

$4.15 €3.69

$3.10 €2.75

33.87%

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

$3.35 €2.98

$3.00 €2.67

11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.93 €1.71

43.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 €4.01

$3.84 €3.41

17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.36 €3.87

-14.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.25 €1.11

0.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.12 €1.89

9.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 €3.95

$1.97 €1.75

125.38%

Eggs

$4.11 €3.65

$4.76 €4.23

-13.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 €12.69

$17.07 €15.16

-16.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.30 €9.15

$8.96 €7.96

14.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.44 €22.60

$20.65 €18.34

23.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 €3.00

$3.16 €2.81

6.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.97 €1.75

8.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.65 €2.36

-28.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.88 €2.56

32.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.06 €1.83

-41.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$2.18 €1.94

-39.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.53 €1.36

-8.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.97 €0.86

-9.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.80 €8.71

$6.97 €6.19

40.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 €5.54

$7.89 €7.01

-20.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.42 €1.26

-18.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.39

$2.69 €2.39

-41.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.82 €3.40

$3.31 €2.94

15.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.5

$25.61 €22.75

170.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 €4.90

$3.08 €2.74

78.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.48 €1.32

89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.30 €27.80

$32.87 €29.20

-4.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.87 €1.66

14.97%

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

$32.9K €29.2K

$33.0K €29.3K

-0.20%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$31.9K €28.4K

22.17%

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

$196 €174

$183 €162

7.27%

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

$29.45 €26.16

$14.24 €12.65

106.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 €45.35

$34.56 €30.70

47.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.47 €35.06

$51.4 €45.68

-23.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.52 €12.01

$16.38 €14.55

-17.46%

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 €11.95

$11.06 €9.83

21.61%

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

$390 €347

$944 €838

-58.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.5K

$22.3K €19.8K

-36.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 €73.2

$87.7 €77.9

-6.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.46 €34.16

$38.77 €34.44

-0.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 €88.3

$105 €92.9

-4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €107

$118 €105

2.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 €588

$1,697 €1,507

-60.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 €466

$1,337 €1,187

-60.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 €1,148

$2,692 €2,391

-52.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 €994

$2,077 €1,845

-46.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,464 €3,966

$7,155 €6,356

-37.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,066 €1,835

$5,079 €4,512

-59.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,289 €3,810

$2,241 €1,991

91.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.76

3.19

17.87%

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

Last update for Braunschweig: October 31, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braunschweig

$525 30.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 155% $812

Groceries & Markets

Braunschweig

$341 19.6%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 3.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braunschweig

$277 15.9%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 16.3% $45

Eating Out

Braunschweig

$272 15.6%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 1.7% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Braunschweig

$154 8.8%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 2.2% $3.4

Getting Around

Braunschweig

$104 6%

Barcelona

$49 2% 52.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Braunschweig

$66 3.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10.8% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $662 in Braunschweig and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braunschweig pays 91% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79 in Braunschweig vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Braunschweig

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

Same time as Braunschweig

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

253,167

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Braunschweig Barcelona 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Braunschweig
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

Braunschweig vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,738 in Braunschweig and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Braunschweig is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 91% higher in Braunschweig, 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: $662 in Braunschweig versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $390 in Braunschweig versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Braunschweig gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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