Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Groningen and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Groningen: $2,282 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
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Groningen Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,282

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,282 in Groningen versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Groningen $2,282
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Groningen versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Groningen $3,443
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,603 in Groningen versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Groningen $4,603
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Groningen costs roughly 5% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Groningen 69% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 €17.63

$17.94 €15.96

10.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.0

$68.1 €60.5

50.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.34 €13.65

$13.28 €11.81

15.51%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.10

$3.25 €2.89

41.54%

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

$3.94 €3.50

$3.01 €2.67

30.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 €2.83

$1.87 €1.66

70.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$3.85 €3.42

47.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$4.48 €3.98

22.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.29 €1.15

15.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.04 €1.81

28.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.72 €1.53

51.74%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$4.77 €4.24

-4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 €11.31

$16.77 €14.92

-24.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.16 €11.71

$8.93 €7.94

47.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.17 €16.16

$19.88 €17.68

-8.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.98 €2.65

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.03 €1.80

17.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.73 €2.43

-8.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 €4.23

$2.68 €2.38

77.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.10 €1.87

-2.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.08 €1.85

-24.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.45 €1.29

-10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.89 €0.79

42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 €12.86

$6.94 €6.17

108.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$7.78 €6.92

-15.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.45 €1.29

-4.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.57 €2.29

-2.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.14 €3.68

$2.99 €2.66

38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 €60.0

$25.20 €22.41

167.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 €6.03

$3.12 €2.77

117.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.44 €1.28

89.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.38 €25.24

$33.50 €29.80

-15.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.79 €1.59

40.78%

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

$42.0K €37.3K

$34.6K €30.8K

21.14%

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

$39.1K €34.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

29.88%

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

$230 €204

$178 €158

29.05%

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

$20.48 €18.21

$13.32 €11.85

53.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.87 €43.47

$34.88 €31.03

40.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.10 €34.78

$53.3 €47.37

-26.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 €13.40

$16.01 €14.24

-5.87%

Cinema Ticket

$16.69 €14.84

$11.06 €9.84

50.90%

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

$1,756 €1,562

$957 €851

83.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,621 €6,779

$16.6K €14.7K

-54.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$88.2 €78.4

18.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 €39.25

$39.49 €35.12

11.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$103 €91.5

0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 €174

$121 €108

61.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,194

$1,653 €1,470

-18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$1,302 €1,158

-28.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,748

$2,557 €2,275

-23.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 €1,310

$1,915 €1,703

-23.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,191 €4,618

$7,286 €6,481

-28.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,906 €3,474

$5,080 €4,519

-23.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 €2,691

$2,281 €2,029

32.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

3.28

4.57%

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

Last update for Groningen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Groningen

$931 40.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 39.8% $371

Groceries & Markets

Groningen

$346 15.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 7.5% $26

Eating Out

Groningen

$328 14.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 17.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Groningen

$299 13.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 24.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Groningen

$202 8.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 21.5% $43

Getting Around

Groningen

$104 4.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 54.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Groningen

$72 3.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 4% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,342 in Groningen and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Groningen pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $102 in Groningen vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Groningen

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

Same time as Groningen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,242

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

Groningen Barcelona 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Groningen
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

Groningen vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Groningen and Barcelona differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,282 vs $2,399 including rent). Groningen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Groningen, 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: $1,342 in Groningen versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,756 in Groningen 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 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,282 in Groningen versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Groningen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Groningen 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, Groningen 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 Groningen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.