Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duisburg and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Duisburg: $2,033 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Duisburg
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Duisburg Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Duisburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,033

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,033 in Duisburg versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Duisburg $2,033
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,004 in Duisburg versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Duisburg $3,004
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,974 in Duisburg versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Duisburg $3,974
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Duisburg costs roughly 15% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Duisburg 50% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.28 €11.81

$17.89 €15.92

-25.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 €64.6

$66.2 €58.9

9.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 €11.45

$13.69 €12.18

-5.92%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$3.06 €2.72

42.81%

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

$3.88 €3.45

$3.07 €2.73

26.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.78

$1.94 €1.73

61.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.87

$3.87 €3.44

41.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 €4.96

$4.61 €4.10

21.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.30 €1.16

4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.10 €1.87

1.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 €3.35

$1.83 €1.62

105.46%

Eggs

$3.46 €3.07

$4.62 €4.11

-25.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.16 €12.60

$17.36 €15.44

-18.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.79 €9.60

$9.28 €8.25

16.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.49 €22.67

$19.83 €17.64

28.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.01 €2.68

10.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.03 €1.81

10.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.65 €2.36

-10.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.87 €2.55

48.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$2.16 €1.92

-31.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.08

$2.15 €1.91

-43.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.47 €1.31

17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.88 €0.79

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.53 €9.37

$6.93 €6.16

51.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 €6.05

$7.83 €6.96

-13.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.39 €1.24

-20.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.63 €2.34

-47.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.52 €4.02

$2.91 €2.59

55.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.7 €60.2

$25.46 €22.64

165.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 €4.37

$3.00 €2.66

63.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.44 €1.28

59.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.21 €30.43

$33.20 €29.53

3.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.86 €1.65

17.20%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$32.3K €28.8K

2.70%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$31.7K €28.2K

21.32%

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

$454 €404

$183 €163

148.40%

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

$25.59 €22.76

$13.61 €12.11

88.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.63 €37.03

$32.93 €29.29

26.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.61 €28.11

$54.7 €48.65

-42.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.94 €25.74

$16.52 €14.70

75.18%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 €12.14

$11.23 €9.99

21.46%

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

$168 €149

$954 €849

-82.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.9K €23.1K

$16.6K €14.8K

56.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.1 €87.2

$86.0 €76.5

13.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.63 €42.37

$39.11 €34.78

21.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €101

$104 €92.2

9.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$199 €177

$119 €106

67.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 €614

$1,695 €1,508

-59.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 €476

$1,276 €1,135

-58.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 €1,244

$2,576 €2,291

-45.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 €808

$1,922 €1,710

-52.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,730 €5,986

$7,281 €6,477

-7.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,363 €2,991

$5,010 €4,456

-32.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,793 €2,484

$2,227 €1,981

25.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.28

20.73%

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

Last update for Duisburg: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Duisburg

$535 26.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 139% $741

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duisburg

$521 25.6%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 56% $292

Groceries & Markets

Duisburg

$346 17%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 6% $21

Eating Out

Duisburg

$264 13%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 2.1% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Duisburg

$206 10.1%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 24.2% $50

Getting Around

Duisburg

$102 5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 53.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Duisburg

$59 2.9%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 31% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Duisburg and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Duisburg pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Duisburg vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Duisburg

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

Same time as Duisburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

486,855

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

Duisburg Barcelona 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Duisburg
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

Duisburg vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duisburg and Barcelona differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,033 vs $2,381 including rent). Duisburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Duisburg, 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: $690 in Duisburg versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $168 in Duisburg versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,033 in Duisburg versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Duisburg but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Duisburg the clear choice for anyone on this 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, Duisburg and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Duisburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.