Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Den Helder and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Den Helder: $2,036 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Den Helder
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Den Helder Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Den Helder

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,036

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,036 in Den Helder versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Den Helder $2,036
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,065 in Den Helder versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Den Helder $3,065
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,094 in Den Helder versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Den Helder $4,094
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Den Helder costs roughly 17% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Den Helder 51% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 €17.38

$17.66 €15.72

10.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 €46.55

$67.5 €60.1

-22.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 €7.30

$13.61 €12.12

-39.75%

Cappuccino

$3.72 €3.32

$3.10 €2.76

20.00%

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

$3.05 €2.72

$3.00 €2.67

1.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.93 €1.72

54.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 €4.61

$3.84 €3.42

34.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 €4.57

$4.36 €3.88

17.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.25 €1.11

-8.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.12 €1.89

-39.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.97 €1.76

-56.85%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.68

$4.76 €4.24

-13.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 €8.74

$17.07 €15.20

-42.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.46 €12.88

$8.96 €7.97

61.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 €14.24

$20.65 €18.39

-22.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$3.16 €2.81

-13.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.97 €1.75

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 €1.12

$2.65 €2.36

-52.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 €3.75

$2.88 €2.57

46.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.06 €1.83

-31.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.18 €1.94

-51.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.53 €1.37

-33.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.97 €0.86

-21.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.47 €11.99

$6.97 €6.20

93.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.41

$7.89 €7.02

-8.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.42 €1.26

-7.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.69 €2.39

-4.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$9.65 €8.60

$3.31 €2.95

191.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$155 €138

$25.61 €22.80

505.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$3.08 €2.75

28.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 €2.88

$1.48 €1.32

118.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.42 €33.32

$32.87 €29.27

13.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.87 €1.66

27.27%

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

$41.2K €36.7K

$33.0K €29.4K

24.93%

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

$40.0K €35.6K

$31.9K €28.4K

25.25%

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

$203 €181

$183 €163

11.06%

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

$15.46 €13.76

$14.24 €12.68

8.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.27 €18.05

$34.56 €30.78

-41.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.05 €21.41

$51.4 €45.79

-53.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 €17.32

$16.38 €14.59

18.80%

Cinema Ticket

$14.32 €12.75

$11.06 €9.85

29.48%

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

$2,843 €2,532

$944 €840

201.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,144 €5,471

$22.3K €19.8K

-72.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €101

$87.7 €78.1

29.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.77 €42.54

$38.77 €34.52

23.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$105 €93.1

11.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$118 €105

16.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 €783

$1,697 €1,511

-48.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 €683

$1,337 €1,190

-42.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,810 €1,612

$2,692 €2,397

-32.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 €1,174

$2,077 €1,849

-36.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,895 €2,578

$7,155 €6,371

-59.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,522

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,466 €2,195

$2,241 €1,996

10.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

3.19

-12.23%

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

Last update for Den Helder: 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

Den Helder

$767 37.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 74.2% $569

Groceries & Markets

Den Helder

$291 14.3%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 12.6% $37

Eating Out

Den Helder

$286 14%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 6.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Den Helder

$239 11.7%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 3% $7.1

Getting Around

Den Helder

$214 10.5%

Barcelona

$49 2% 76.9% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Den Helder

$187 9.2%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 16% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Den Helder

$53 2.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 39.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $879 in Den Helder and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Den Helder pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52 in Den Helder vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $328 per month, with Den Helder cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Den Helder

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

Same time as Den Helder

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,296

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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Highest

Between locations

Den Helder Barcelona 1,300 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Den Helder
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

Den Helder vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,036 in Den Helder and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Den Helder is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Den Helder, 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: $879 in Den Helder versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,843 in Den Helder versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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