Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Debrecen and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Debrecen: $1,431 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Debrecen
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Debrecen Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Debrecen

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,431

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,431 in Debrecen versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Debrecen $1,431
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,252 in Debrecen versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Debrecen $2,252
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,073 in Debrecen versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Debrecen $3,073
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Debrecen costs roughly 42% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Debrecen 5% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,468

$17.59 €15.75

-22.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.04 Ft 15.7K

$67.5 €60.5

-28.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 Ft 3,105

$13.53 €12.12

-30.01%

Cappuccino

$2.34 Ft 766

$3.19 €2.86

-26.65%

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

$1.59 Ft 521

$2.91 €2.61

-45.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 Ft 346

$1.89 €1.70

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 Ft 596

$4.01 €3.59

-54.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 Ft 731

$4.53 €4.06

-50.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Ft 409

$1.31 €1.17

-4.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 Ft 493

$2.02 €1.81

-25.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 786

$1.85 €1.66

29.73%

Eggs

$3.60 Ft 1,180

$4.83 €4.33

-25.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.32 Ft 3,382

$16.74 €14.99

-38.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 Ft 2,284

$9.12 €8.17

-23.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 Ft 5,050

$19.64 €17.59

-21.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 670

$2.98 €2.67

-31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 Ft 731

$2.02 €1.81

10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 Ft 663

$2.70 €2.42

-25.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 Ft 1,159

$2.80 €2.51

26.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 Ft 296

$2.09 €1.87

-56.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 Ft 413

$2.07 €1.85

-39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 Ft 495

$1.46 €1.31

3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 Ft 186

$0.94 €0.84

-39.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.18 Ft 2,354

$6.87 €6.15

4.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.17 Ft 1,366

$7.89 €7.06

-47.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 Ft 405

$1.41 €1.26

-12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 Ft 694

$2.54 €2.27

-16.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 Ft 513

$3.14 €2.82

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.09 Ft 8,553

$25.45 €22.79

2.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 Ft 1,075

$2.99 €2.68

9.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 Ft 462

$1.49 €1.34

-5.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.34 Ft 4,043

$33.37 €29.89

-63.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 Ft 620

$1.80 €1.61

5.00%

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

$26.9K Ft 8.8M

$33.2K €29.7K

-18.96%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.2M

$31.7K €28.4K

7.60%

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

$154 Ft 50.5K

$180 €162

-14.62%

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

$26.21 Ft 8,592

$13.84 €12.39

89.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 Ft 7,034

$33.70 €30.18

-36.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 Ft 17.8K

$51.5 €46.13

5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.85 Ft 2,574

$15.96 €14.29

-50.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 Ft 3,199

$10.99 €9.85

-11.19%

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

$410 Ft 134.4K

$917 €821

-55.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K Ft 3.5M

$16.5K €14.8K

-34.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 Ft 28.7K

$87.0 €77.9

0.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.34 Ft 10.9K

$38.51 €34.49

-13.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 Ft 28.1K

$106 €94.8

-19.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 Ft 33.1K

$120 €107

-15.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 Ft 223.9K

$1,699 €1,522

-59.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 Ft 175.5K

$1,355 €1,214

-60.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 Ft 458.7K

$2,603 €2,331

-46.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 Ft 350.6K

$2,062 €1,847

-48.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,252 Ft 1.1M

$6,915 €6,193

-52.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,498 Ft 818.8K

$5,128 €4,592

-51.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,236 Ft 405.1K

$2,211 €1,980

-44.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

3.28

110.37%

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

Last update for Debrecen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Debrecen

$535 37.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 153% $820

Groceries & Markets

Debrecen

$250 17.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 28.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Debrecen

$202 14.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 13% $26

Eating Out

Debrecen

$190 13.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 41.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Debrecen

$138 9.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 14.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Debrecen

$74 5.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 0.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Debrecen

$43 3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 13.5% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Debrecen and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 79% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Debrecen vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $322 per month, with Debrecen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Debrecen

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

Same time as Debrecen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,704

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 328 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Debrecen Barcelona 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Debrecen
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

Debrecen vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,431 in Debrecen and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Debrecen is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Debrecen. 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: $683 in Debrecen versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $410 in Debrecen versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Debrecen – a meal for two runs $48 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Debrecen is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Debrecen wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.