Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilversum and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,915 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
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Hilversum Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,915

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,915 in Hilversum versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Hilversum $2,915
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,247 in Hilversum versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Hilversum $4,247
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,579 in Hilversum versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Hilversum $5,579
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Hilversum is roughly 19% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hilversum 114% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.34 €25.46

$17.59 €15.80

61.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €69.6

$67.5 €60.6

14.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.08 €15.34

$13.53 €12.15

26.24%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.85

$3.19 €2.87

34.48%

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

$4.02 €3.61

$2.91 €2.62

38.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.69

$1.89 €1.70

58.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.92

$4.01 €3.60

36.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$4.53 €4.07

23.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.31 €1.17

28.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.97

$2.02 €1.81

8.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$1.85 €1.66

67.57%

Eggs

$5.06 €4.54

$4.83 €4.34

4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 €12.48

$16.74 €15.03

-17.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.50 €13.02

$9.12 €8.19

58.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 €15.01

$19.64 €17.64

-14.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.98 €2.68

-17.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 €2.49

$2.02 €1.81

37.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.82

$2.70 €2.43

-25.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 €3.99

$2.80 €2.52

58.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.09 €1.87

-14.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.07 €1.86

-2.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.46 €1.31

2.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €1.00

$0.94 €0.84

18.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.17 €10.93

$6.87 €6.17

77.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.72 €6.04

$7.89 €7.08

-14.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.41 €1.26

1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.54 €2.28

2.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.61 €3.24

$3.14 €2.82

14.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.8 €60.9

$25.45 €22.86

166.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €5.01

$2.99 €2.69

86.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 €3.07

$1.49 €1.34

129.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.70 €20.39

$33.37 €29.98

-31.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.80 €1.61

36.67%

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

$41.9K €37.7K

$33.2K €29.8K

26.37%

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

$42.2K €37.9K

$31.7K €28.5K

33.03%

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

$262 €235

$180 €162

45.03%

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

$29.44 €26.44

$13.84 €12.43

112.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.6 €57.2

$33.70 €30.27

88.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 €60.6

$51.5 €46.27

31.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.64 €31.12

$15.96 €14.34

117.04%

Cinema Ticket

$16.51 €14.83

$10.99 €9.88

50.23%

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

$700 €628

$917 €823

-23.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K €14.0K

$16.5K €14.8K

-5.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €101

$87.0 €78.2

28.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.96 €43.08

$38.51 €34.59

24.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €82.8

$106 €95.1

-12.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €131

$120 €108

21.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 €1,497

$1,699 €1,527

-1.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 €1,285

$1,355 €1,217

5.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,731 €2,453

$2,603 €2,338

4.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 €2,087

$2,062 €1,853

12.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,907 €6,205

$6,915 €6,211

-0.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,239 €4,706

$5,128 €4,606

2.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,008 €3,601

$2,211 €1,986

81.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

3.28

31.10%

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

Last update for Hilversum: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 5.2% $75

Eating Out

Hilversum

$396 13.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 32.4% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilversum

$355 12.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 35.7% $127

Groceries & Markets

Hilversum

$349 12%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 7.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Hilversum

$179 6.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 11.7% $21

Getting Around

Hilversum

$105 3.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 53.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Hilversum

$101 3.5%

Barcelona

$74 3% 26.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,667 in Hilversum and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hilversum pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Hilversum vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

Same time as Hilversum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,345

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hilversum Barcelona 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Hilversum
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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

Hilversum vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,915 in Hilversum and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Hilversum, 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: $1,667 in Hilversum versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $700 in Hilversum versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Hilversum. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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