Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hengelo and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Hengelo: $2,186 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

105

Cost of Living Index in Hengelo
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Hengelo Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Hengelo

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,186

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Hengelo versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Hengelo $2,186
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,524 in Hengelo versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Hengelo $3,524
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,862 in Hengelo versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Hengelo $4,862
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Hengelo costs roughly 8% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hengelo 61% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.67 €20.16

$17.89 €15.92

26.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.1

$66.2 €58.9

25.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.79

$13.69 €12.18

-3.14%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.57

$3.06 €2.72

31.05%

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

$3.81 €3.39

$3.07 €2.73

24.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.55

$1.94 €1.73

47.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.27 €5.58

$3.87 €3.44

62.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.49 €5.78

$4.61 €4.10

40.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.30 €1.16

3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 €2.18

$2.10 €1.87

17.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.83 €1.62

44.26%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.86

$4.62 €4.11

-6.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 €12.50

$17.36 €15.44

-19.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.81 €12.29

$9.28 €8.25

48.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.57 €12.96

$19.83 €17.64

-26.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.01 €2.68

-6.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.03 €1.81

9.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.65 €2.36

-19.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 €3.26

$2.87 €2.55

27.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.16 €1.92

-13.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.15 €1.91

-12.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.47 €1.31

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$0.88 €0.79

-20.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.87 €12.34

$6.93 €6.16

100.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.86

$7.83 €6.96

-15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.39 €1.24

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.63 €2.34

1.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.12 €4.55

$2.91 €2.59

75.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 €80.2

$25.46 €22.64

254.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 €3.22

$3.00 €2.66

20.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.44 €1.28

79.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.23 €39.34

$33.20 €29.53

33.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.86 €1.65

36.02%

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

$41.1K €36.6K

$32.3K €28.8K

27.21%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$31.7K €28.2K

21.89%

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

$268 €238

$183 €163

46.60%

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

$21.74 €19.34

$13.61 €12.11

59.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.06 €42.75

$32.93 €29.29

45.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.68 €26.40

$54.7 €48.65

-45.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.66 €21.04

$16.52 €14.70

43.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.17

$11.23 €9.99

41.85%

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

$1,222 €1,087

$954 €849

28.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,960 €7,081

$16.6K €14.8K

-52.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.1 €83.7

$86.0 €76.5

9.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 €39.68

$39.11 €34.78

14.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 €82.7

$104 €92.2

-10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$119 €106

5.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,695 €1,508

-23.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 €743

$1,276 €1,135

-34.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,399 €2,134

$2,576 €2,291

-6.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 €1,660

$1,922 €1,710

-2.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,317 €4,729

$7,281 €6,477

-26.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,422 €3,934

$5,010 €4,456

-11.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,639 €2,348

$2,227 €1,981

18.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

3.28

28.05%

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

Last update for Hengelo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hengelo

$836 38.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 52.7% $440

Eating Out

Hengelo

$340 15.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 20.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hengelo

$338 15.5%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 32.1% $108

Groceries & Markets

Hengelo

$323 14.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 0.6% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Hengelo

$160 7.3%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 2.6% $4.1

Getting Around

Hengelo

$127 5.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 62.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Hengelo

$62 2.8%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 25.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,300 in Hengelo and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hengelo pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Hengelo vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $325, with Hengelo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hengelo

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

Same time as Hengelo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,140

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

Hengelo Barcelona 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Hengelo
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

Hengelo vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hengelo and Barcelona differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,186 vs $2,381 including rent). Hengelo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Hengelo, 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: $1,300 in Hengelo versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,222 in Hengelo versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,186 in Hengelo versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hengelo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Hengelo 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, Hengelo 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 Hengelo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.