Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Enschede and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Enschede and in Barcelona: $2,363 and $2,381 a month, rent and utilities included.

115

Cost of Living Index in Enschede
Learn more

Enschede Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Enschede

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,363

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,363 in Enschede versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Enschede $2,363
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,680 in Enschede versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Enschede $3,680
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,996 in Enschede versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Enschede $4,996
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Enschede costs roughly 1% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Enschede 74% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.35 €18.99

$17.89 €15.92

19.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 €71.1

$66.2 €58.9

20.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 €13.84

$13.69 €12.18

13.66%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.62

$3.06 €2.72

32.68%

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

$3.55 €3.16

$3.07 €2.73

15.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.94 €1.73

48.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 €5.35

$3.87 €3.44

55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 €5.61

$4.61 €4.10

36.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.30 €1.16

3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.10 €1.87

19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.83 €1.62

44.26%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$4.62 €4.11

-4.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.75 €12.23

$17.36 €15.44

-20.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.53 €12.92

$9.28 €8.25

56.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.76 €13.13

$19.83 €17.64

-25.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.01 €2.68

-10.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.03 €1.81

7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.65 €2.36

-17.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 €4.24

$2.87 €2.55

66.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.16 €1.92

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.15 €1.91

-0.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.47 €1.31

-18.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.88 €0.79

-13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.10 €12.54

$6.93 €6.16

103.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.91

$7.83 €6.96

-15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.39 €1.24

3.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.64

$2.63 €2.34

12.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 €2.64

$2.91 €2.59

1.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 €101

$25.46 €22.64

343.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.34

$3.00 €2.66

25.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.44 €1.28

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.53 €24.49

$33.20 €29.53

-17.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.86 €1.65

36.56%

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

$41.9K €37.2K

$32.3K €28.8K

29.45%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$31.7K €28.2K

22.70%

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

$262 €233

$183 €163

43.43%

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

$21.36 €19.00

$13.61 €12.11

56.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.78 €39.83

$32.93 €29.29

35.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.20 €30.42

$54.7 €48.65

-37.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.17 €21.50

$16.52 €14.70

46.31%

Cinema Ticket

$19.13 €17.02

$11.23 €9.99

70.35%

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

$1,198 €1,065

$954 €849

25.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,959 €7,079

$16.6K €14.8K

-52.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 €83.1

$86.0 €76.5

8.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.39 €33.26

$39.11 €34.78

-4.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 €81.5

$104 €92.2

-11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.7

$119 €106

-14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 €1,187

$1,695 €1,508

-21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 €892

$1,276 €1,135

-21.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 €2,232

$2,576 €2,291

-2.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,994 €1,774

$1,922 €1,710

3.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,629 €4,118

$7,281 €6,477

-36.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,233 €2,876

$5,010 €4,456

-35.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,857 €2,541

$2,227 €1,981

28.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

3.28

40.24%

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

Last update for Enschede: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Enschede

$1K 42.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 27.3% $274

Groceries & Markets

Enschede

$338 14.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 3.8% $13

Eating Out

Enschede

$335 14.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 19.5% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Enschede

$328 13.9%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 30.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Enschede

$145 6.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 7.5% $11

Getting Around

Enschede

$141 6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 66.6% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Enschede

$72 3.1%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 6.5% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,334 in Enschede and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Enschede pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $80.0 in Enschede vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Enschede

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:51 12:51 AM

Same time as Enschede

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,235

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Enschede Barcelona 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Enschede
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

Enschede vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Enschede and Barcelona differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,363 vs $2,381 including rent). Enschede is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Enschede, 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: $1,334 in Enschede versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,198 in Enschede 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 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,363 in Enschede versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Enschede but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Enschede 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, Enschede 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 Enschede gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.