Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsinki and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsinki and Barcelona

😐 Solo nomad: Helsinki is 22.7% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 7.8% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Helsinki is 23.2% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 2.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Helsinki
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.19
$17.41 €15.03
1.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$104 €90
$68.7 €59.3
51.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.85 €11.09
$13.71 €11.84
-6.27%
Cappuccino
$5.03 €4.34
$2.78 €2.4
80.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 €2.62
$2.8 €2.42
8.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €1.98
$1.98 €1.71
15.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.15 €7.04
$4.43 €3.83
83.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.24 €7.12
$4.53 €3.91
81.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Helsinki
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 €1.15
$1.24 €1.07
7.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.72 €2.35
$2.03 €1.75
33.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.79 €2.41
$1.98 €1.71
40.91%
Eggs
$3.44 €2.97
$3.46 €2.99
-0.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 €8.04
$18.32 €15.82
-49.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.94 €12.9
$9.82 €8.47
52.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.76 €19.65
$19.24 €16.61
18.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 €2.34
$2.61 €2.25
3.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 €1.91
$2.34 €2.02
-5.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.53 €2.19
$2.11 €1.82
19.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.59 €3.96
$2.77 €2.39
65.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 €1.03
$2.04 €1.76
-41.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 €1.62
$1.77 €1.53
5.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.11 €1.82
$1.5 €1.3
40.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 €1.69
$0.85 €0.73
130.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.75 €11.01
$7 €6.04
82.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.21 €13.99
$7.13 €6.16
127.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.23 €2.79
$1.43 €1.24
125.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 €3.42
$2.29 €1.98
72.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Helsinki
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.75 €3.24
$3.02 €2.6
24.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$81.5 €70.3
$28.97 €25.01
181.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8 €6.91
$4.59 €3.96
74.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.15 €1
$2.02 €1.74
-43.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$70.6 €61
$29.56 €25.53
138.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.16 €1.87
$1.81 €1.56
19.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.7K €31.7K
$38.4K €33.1K
-4.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.4K €33.2K
$32.4K €28K
18.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Helsinki
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$126 €109
$190 €164
-33.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.36 €25.35
$22.18 €19.15
32.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.05 €20.77
$36.37 €31.4
-33.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Helsinki
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.84 €40.44
$57.4 €49.55
-18.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.2 €28.67
$20.95 €18.09
58.47%
Cinema Ticket
$20.2 €17.44
$10.8 €9.33
87.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Helsinki
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$400 €345
$732 €632
-45.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K €9,799
$15.1K €13.1K
-24.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Helsinki
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 €92.9
$86.8 €74.9
23.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.73 €33.44
$36.78 €31.76
5.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €91.2
$102 €88.2
3.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 €110
$117 €101
9.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Helsinki
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,221 €1,054
$1,581 €1,365
-22.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$931 €803
$1,230 €1,062
-24.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,124 €1,834
$2,707 €2,337
-21.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,557 €1,344
$2,028 €1,751
-23.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,031 €7,797
$6,602 €5,700
36.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,329 €4,601
$5,045 €4,356
5.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Helsinki
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,433 €2,964
$2,198 €1,898
56.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.09
3.39
20.65%

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

Last update for Helsinki: October 28, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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