Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Graz and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Graz: $2,191 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Graz
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Graz Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Graz

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,191

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,191 in Graz versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Graz $2,191
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,248 in Graz versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Graz $3,248
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,305 in Graz versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Graz $4,305
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Graz costs roughly 9% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Graz 62% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.78

$17.94 €15.96

-7.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 €57.6

$68.1 €60.5

-4.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.31 €11.84

$13.28 €11.81

0.23%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.84

$3.25 €2.89

32.92%

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

$3.88 €3.45

$3.01 €2.67

28.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.87 €1.66

55.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.01

$3.85 €3.42

46.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$4.48 €3.98

20.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.29 €1.15

41.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 €2.77

$2.04 €1.81

52.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$1.72 €1.53

66.28%

Eggs

$5.31 €4.72

$4.77 €4.24

11.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.61 €21.00

$16.77 €14.92

40.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.78 €13.15

$8.93 €7.94

65.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.44 €20.85

$19.88 €17.68

17.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.98 €2.65

1.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.03 €1.80

24.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 €2.89

$2.73 €2.43

19.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.62 €3.22

$2.68 €2.38

35.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.10 €1.87

-5.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.08 €1.85

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.45 €1.29

33.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$0.89 €0.79

3.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.68 €6.83

$6.94 €6.17

10.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.83 €7.86

$7.78 €6.92

13.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.45 €1.29

3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.57 €2.29

-15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 €3.23

$2.99 €2.66

21.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.3 €67.0

$25.20 €22.41

198.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.35 €4.76

$3.12 €2.77

71.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.44 €1.28

82.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.91 €31.05

$33.50 €29.80

4.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.79 €1.59

13.97%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

-13.19%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$30.1K €26.7K

-8.96%

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

$379 €337

$178 €158

112.99%

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

$14.16 €12.60

$13.32 €11.85

6.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.01 €31.14

$34.88 €31.03

0.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 €35.42

$53.3 €47.37

-25.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.59 €20.09

$16.01 €14.24

41.10%

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 €11.72

$11.06 €9.84

19.08%

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

$527 €469

$957 €851

-44.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,540 €4,928

$16.6K €14.7K

-66.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$88.2 €78.4

15.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 €35.60

$39.49 €35.12

1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.0

$103 €91.5

7.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 €142

$121 €108

31.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$840 €747

$1,653 €1,470

-49.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$695 €619

$1,302 €1,158

-46.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,472 €1,309

$2,557 €2,275

-42.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 €1,051

$1,915 €1,703

-38.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,952 €5,294

$7,286 €6,481

-18.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,179 €2,828

$5,080 €4,519

-37.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,082 €2,742

$2,281 €2,029

35.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.59

3.28

9.45%

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

Last update for Graz: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Graz

$695 31.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 87.2% $606

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Graz

$428 19.5%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 47.2% $202

Groceries & Markets

Graz

$417 19%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 23.2% $97

Eating Out

Graz

$291 13.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 7.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Graz

$185 8.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 14.5% $27

Getting Around

Graz

$108 5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 56.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Graz

$66 3%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 13.9% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $840 in Graz and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Graz pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65.0 in Graz vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $417 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Graz

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

Same time as Graz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

331,359

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

Graz Barcelona 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Graz
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

Graz vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Graz and Barcelona differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,191 vs $2,399 including rent). Graz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Graz, 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: $840 in Graz versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $527 in Graz versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,191 in Graz versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Graz but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Graz 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, Graz 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 Graz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.