Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Friedrichshafen and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,511 in Friedrichshafen, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Friedrichshafen
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Friedrichshafen Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Friedrichshafen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,511

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,511 in Friedrichshafen versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Friedrichshafen $2,511
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,121 in Friedrichshafen versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Friedrichshafen $3,121
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,731 in Friedrichshafen versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Friedrichshafen $3,731
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Friedrichshafen is roughly 3% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Friedrichshafen 86% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.08 €15.21

$17.66 €15.73

-3.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 €64.7

$67.5 €60.1

7.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.05

$13.61 €12.13

-17.12%

Cappuccino

$3.93 €3.50

$3.10 €2.76

26.77%

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

$4.06 €3.62

$3.00 €2.67

35.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.53

$1.93 €1.72

47.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.29 €4.71

$3.84 €3.42

37.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 €4.47

$4.36 €3.88

14.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.25 €1.11

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.12 €1.89

2.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.97 €1.76

39.09%

Eggs

$3.39 €3.02

$4.76 €4.24

-28.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.48 €12.90

$17.07 €15.20

-15.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 €10.01

$8.96 €7.98

25.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.54 €15.63

$20.65 €18.39

-15.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.16 €2.82

-4.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.97 €1.75

-5.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.65 €2.36

-18.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 €3.93

$2.88 €2.57

53.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.06 €1.83

-31.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.08

$2.18 €1.94

-44.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.53 €1.37

-1.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.97 €0.86

-15.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 €8.79

$6.97 €6.21

41.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 €5.53

$7.89 €7.03

-21.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.42 €1.26

-22.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.69 €2.39

-40.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$3.31 €2.95

-16.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.3 €63.5

$25.61 €22.81

178.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 €5.73

$3.08 €2.75

108.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 €2.73

$1.48 €1.32

107.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.47 €38.72

$32.87 €29.28

32.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.87 €1.66

12.30%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$33.0K €29.4K

1.38%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$31.9K €28.5K

20.52%

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

$217 €193

$183 €163

18.41%

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

$16.99 €15.13

$14.24 €12.69

19.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.07 €34.80

$34.56 €30.79

13.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.73 €31.83

$51.4 €45.81

-30.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.60

Cinema Ticket

$15.56 €13.86

$11.06 €9.86

40.69%

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

$873 €778

$944 €841

-7.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K €19.7K

$22.3K €19.8K

-0.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.3 €82.2

$87.7 €78.1

5.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.85

$38.77 €34.54

12.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 €88.9

$105 €93.1

-4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €102

$118 €105

-2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 €1,274

$1,697 €1,512

-15.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,173

$1,337 €1,191

-1.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 €1,680

$2,692 €2,398

-29.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 €963

$2,077 €1,850

-47.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,373

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,361 €2,994

$5,079 €4,524

-33.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,037 €2,705

$2,241 €1,997

35.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.19

20.69%

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

Last update for Friedrichshafen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Friedrichshafen

$1.3K 52.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 1.5% $20

Groceries & Markets

Friedrichshafen

$311 12.4%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 5.2% $16

Eating Out

Friedrichshafen

$282 11.2%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 5.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Friedrichshafen

$273 10.9%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 15% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Friedrichshafen

$158 6.3%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 0.6% $0.9

Getting Around

Friedrichshafen

$104 4.2%

Barcelona

$49 2% 52.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Friedrichshafen

$67 2.7%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in Friedrichshafen and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Friedrichshafen pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Friedrichshafen vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $311 vs $328, with Friedrichshafen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Friedrichshafen

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Friedrichshafen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,099

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

Friedrichshafen Barcelona 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Friedrichshafen
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

Friedrichshafen vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,511 in Friedrichshafen and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Friedrichshafen, 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: $1,430 in Friedrichshafen versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $873 in Friedrichshafen versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Friedrichshafen pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Friedrichshafen 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, Friedrichshafen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.