Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esch-sur-Alzette and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,839 in Esch-sur-Alzette, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Esch-sur-Alzette
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Esch-sur-Alzette Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Esch-sur-Alzette

🇱🇺 Luxembourg

$2,839

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,839 in Esch-sur-Alzette versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Esch-sur-Alzette $2,839
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,347 in Esch-sur-Alzette versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Esch-sur-Alzette $4,347
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,855 in Esch-sur-Alzette versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Esch-sur-Alzette $5,855
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Esch-sur-Alzette is roughly 16% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Esch-sur-Alzette 109% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €20.06

$17.59 €15.76

27.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.87

$67.5 €60.5

-17.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.19 €13.61

$13.53 €12.12

12.27%

Cappuccino

$4.62 €4.14

$3.19 €2.86

44.83%

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

$2.49 €2.23

$2.91 €2.61

-14.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.89 €1.70

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.20 €3.77

$4.01 €3.59

4.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 €3.29

$4.53 €4.06

-18.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.31 €1.17

37.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 €3.28

$2.02 €1.81

81.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 €2.99

$1.85 €1.66

80.00%

Eggs

$4.56 €4.09

$4.83 €4.33

-5.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.49 €27.32

$16.74 €15.00

82.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.91 €14.26

$9.12 €8.17

74.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.64 €22.98

$19.64 €17.60

30.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$2.98 €2.67

-11.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.02 €1.81

-3.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 €2.70

$2.70 €2.42

11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.02

$2.80 €2.51

20.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.09 €1.87

58.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.07 €1.85

1.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.46 €1.31

27.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.94 €0.84

12.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.93

$6.87 €6.16

-3.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.01 €8.97

$7.89 €7.07

26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 €3.55

$1.41 €1.26

180.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 €4.03

$2.54 €2.27

76.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.11 €9.96

$2.99 €2.68

271.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.56 €3.19

$1.49 €1.34

138.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.93 €39.37

$33.37 €29.91

31.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.80 €1.61

2.78%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$31.7K €28.4K

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

$266 €238

$180 €162

47.24%

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

$32.60 €29.21

$13.84 €12.40

135.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.0 €78.9

$33.70 €30.20

161.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.76 €37.42

$51.5 €46.16

-18.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$15.71 €14.08

$10.99 €9.85

42.95%

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

$1,513 €1,356

$917 €821

65.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 €60.8

$87.0 €78.0

-21.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 €34.90

$38.51 €34.51

1.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 €115

$106 €94.8

21.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 €140

$120 €107

30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,817 €1,628

$1,699 €1,523

6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 €1,232

$1,355 €1,214

1.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,454 €3,095

$2,603 €2,332

32.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,800 €2,509

$2,062 €1,848

35.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,185 €6,438

$6,915 €6,196

3.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,164 €5,524

$5,128 €4,595

20.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,696 €3,312

$2,211 €1,981

67.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.26

3.28

-0.61%

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

Last update for Esch-sur-Alzette: 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

Esch-sur-Alzette

$1.4K 48.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 1.5% $20

Groceries & Markets

Esch-sur-Alzette

$471 16.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 31.7% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esch-sur-Alzette

$386 13.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 41% $158

Eating Out

Esch-sur-Alzette

$328 11.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 18.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Esch-sur-Alzette

$176 6.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 10.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Esch-sur-Alzette

$73 2.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Esch-sur-Alzette

$29 * 1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 67.5% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,817 in Esch-sur-Alzette and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Esch-sur-Alzette pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Esch-sur-Alzette vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $471 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇺 Esch-sur-Alzette

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

Same time as Esch-sur-Alzette

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,218

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

Esch-sur-Alzette Barcelona 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Esch-sur-Alzette
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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

Esch-sur-Alzette vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,839 in Esch-sur-Alzette and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Esch-sur-Alzette, 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: $1,817 in Esch-sur-Alzette versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,513 in Esch-sur-Alzette 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 Esch-sur-Alzette – a meal for two runs $56 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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