Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darmstadt and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Darmstadt: $2,255 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Darmstadt
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Darmstadt Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Darmstadt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,255

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Darmstadt versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Darmstadt $2,255
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,478 in Darmstadt versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Darmstadt $3,478
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,701 in Darmstadt versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Darmstadt $4,701
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Darmstadt costs roughly 8% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Darmstadt 66% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.50 €20.16

$17.59 €15.76

27.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.0

$67.5 €60.5

-2.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 €11.81

$13.53 €12.12

-2.66%

Cappuccino

$4.00 €3.59

$3.19 €2.86

25.39%

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

$2.34 €2.09

$2.91 €2.61

-19.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.89 €1.70

13.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.08

$4.01 €3.59

41.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.90

$4.53 €4.06

20.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.31 €1.17

12.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.02 €1.81

11.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.85 €1.66

108.11%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.80

$4.83 €4.33

-12.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.13 €14.45

$16.74 €15.00

-3.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 €9.62

$9.12 €8.17

17.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.42 €23.68

$19.64 €17.60

34.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 €3.04

$2.98 €2.67

13.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.02 €1.81

14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.70 €2.42

-20.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.88 €3.48

$2.80 €2.51

38.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.09 €1.87

-42.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.98

$2.07 €1.85

-47.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.46 €1.31

0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.94 €0.84

38.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.44 €8.46

$6.87 €6.16

37.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 €4.93

$7.89 €7.07

-30.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.41 €1.26

-14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.41

$2.54 €2.27

-38.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 €2.98

$3.14 €2.82

5.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.7 €64.2

$25.45 €22.80

181.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.10

$2.99 €2.68

90.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.49 €1.34

48.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.70 €34.68

$33.37 €29.91

15.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.80 €1.61

20.00%

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

$32.8K €29.4K

$33.2K €29.7K

-1.32%

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

$37.9K €34.0K

$31.7K €28.4K

19.65%

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

$341 €306

$180 €162

89.07%

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

$32.19 €28.84

$13.84 €12.40

132.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 €46.73

$33.70 €30.20

54.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.28 €36.10

$51.5 €46.16

-21.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.9 €45.57

$15.96 €14.30

218.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 €9.62

$10.99 €9.85

-2.37%

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

$1,070 €959

$917 €821

16.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.6K €39.0K

$16.5K €14.8K

164.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 €84.6

$87.0 €78.0

8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 €63.2

$38.51 €34.51

83.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €112

$106 €94.8

18.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €134

$120 €107

24.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 €900

$1,699 €1,523

-40.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$787 €705

$1,355 €1,214

-41.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 €1,931

$2,603 €2,332

-17.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 €1,414

$2,062 €1,848

-23.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,085 €5,453

$6,915 €6,196

-12.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,334 €3,884

$5,128 €4,595

-15.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,509 €3,144

$2,211 €1,981

58.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.03

3.28

22.87%

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

Last update for Darmstadt: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Darmstadt

$787 34.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 72.3% $569

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darmstadt

$425 18.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 46.4% $197

Groceries & Markets

Darmstadt

$357 15.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 9.9% $35

Eating Out

Darmstadt

$325 14.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 17.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Darmstadt

$198 8.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 20.1% $40

Getting Around

Darmstadt

$102 4.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 52.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Darmstadt

$62 2.7%

Barcelona

$74 3% 19% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Darmstadt and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darmstadt pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Darmstadt vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $357 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Darmstadt

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

Same time as Darmstadt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,255

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

Darmstadt Barcelona 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Darmstadt
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

Darmstadt vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,255 in Darmstadt and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Darmstadt is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Darmstadt, 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: $1,005 in Darmstadt versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,070 in Darmstadt versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 64% less than in Darmstadt. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Darmstadt and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.