Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bremen and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Bremen: $1,982 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Bremen
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Bremen Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Bremen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,982

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,982 in Bremen versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Bremen $1,982
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,071 in Bremen versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Bremen $3,071
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,159 in Bremen versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Bremen $4,159
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Bremen costs roughly 19% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bremen 46% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.81

$17.59 €15.76

0.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 €76.3

$67.5 €60.5

26.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 €10.67

$13.53 €12.12

-12.05%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.68

$3.19 €2.86

28.84%

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

$3.49 €3.12

$2.91 €2.61

19.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.56

$1.89 €1.70

50.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.12

$4.01 €3.59

42.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.91

$4.53 €4.06

-3.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.31 €1.17

9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.02 €1.81

-1.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 €3.36

$1.85 €1.66

102.70%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.50

$4.83 €4.33

-19.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.79 €11.47

$16.74 €15.00

-23.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.19 €10.03

$9.12 €8.17

22.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.42 €23.68

$19.64 €17.60

34.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.98 €2.67

14.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.02 €1.81

11.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.70 €2.42

-21.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 €3.81

$2.80 €2.51

51.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$2.09 €1.87

-24.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.07 €1.85

-24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.46 €1.31

8.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.94 €0.84

39.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 €9.12

$6.87 €6.16

48.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.04

$7.89 €7.07

-28.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.41 €1.26

-20.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.54 €2.27

-38.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.65 €3.27

$3.14 €2.82

16.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 €62.7

$25.45 €22.80

174.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 €2.65

$2.99 €2.68

-1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.97 €2.66

$1.49 €1.34

99.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.93 €38.47

$33.37 €29.91

28.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.80 €1.61

22.78%

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

$33.4K €29.9K

$33.2K €29.7K

0.55%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

19.88%

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

$312 €279

$180 €162

72.76%

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

$31.53 €28.26

$13.84 €12.40

127.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.86 €32.13

$33.70 €30.20

6.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.72 €32.91

$51.5 €46.16

-28.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.59 €22.93

$15.96 €14.30

60.34%

Cinema Ticket

$14.59 €13.07

$10.99 €9.85

32.76%

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

$396 €355

$917 €821

-56.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K €17.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

20.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €99.1

$87.0 €78.0

27.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.3 €67.4

$38.51 €34.51

95.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 €79.3

$106 €94.8

-16.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$120 €107

6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 €786

$1,699 €1,523

-48.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 €552

$1,355 €1,214

-54.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,424

$2,603 €2,332

-38.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 €1,024

$2,062 €1,848

-44.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,702 €4,214

$6,915 €6,196

-31.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,633 €3,256

$5,128 €4,595

-29.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,291 €2,949

$2,211 €1,981

48.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

3.28

19.51%

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

Last update for Bremen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bremen

$616 31.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 120% $739

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bremen

$379 19.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 39.9% $151

Groceries & Markets

Bremen

$349 17.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 7.7% $27

Eating Out

Bremen

$289 14.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 7.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Bremen

$181 9.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 12.7% $23

Getting Around

Bremen

$102 5.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 52.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Bremen

$66 3.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 11.5% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Bremen and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bremen pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85 in Bremen vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bremen

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

Same time as Bremen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

551,767

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bremen Barcelona 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bremen
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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

Bremen vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,982 in Bremen and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Bremen is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Bremen, 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: $878 in Bremen versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $396 in Bremen versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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