Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leeuwarden and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,588 in Leeuwarden, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Leeuwarden despite lower rent and utilities.

125

Cost of Living Index in Leeuwarden
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Leeuwarden Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Leeuwarden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,588

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,588 in Leeuwarden versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Leeuwarden $2,588
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,825 in Leeuwarden versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Leeuwarden $3,825
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,063 in Leeuwarden versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Leeuwarden $5,063
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Leeuwarden is roughly 9% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leeuwarden 91% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.50 €20.01

$17.89 €15.92

25.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 €99.2

$66.2 €58.9

68.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.61 €13.88

$13.69 €12.18

14.02%

Cappuccino

$3.86 €3.44

$3.06 €2.72

26.14%

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

$3.73 €3.32

$3.07 €2.73

21.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.94 €1.73

47.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 €6.12

$3.87 €3.44

77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 €4.75

$4.61 €4.10

16.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.30 €1.16

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.10 €1.87

-8.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.83 €1.62

33.33%

Eggs

$4.37 €3.89

$4.62 €4.11

-5.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$17.36 €15.44

-26.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 €12.79

$9.28 €8.25

54.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 €14.49

$19.83 €17.64

-17.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.01 €2.68

-22.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.03 €1.81

18.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.65 €2.36

-30.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 €4.67

$2.87 €2.55

82.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.16 €1.92

-20.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.15 €1.91

-10.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.47 €1.31

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.88 €0.79

3.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 €12.63

$6.93 €6.16

104.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.02 €6.24

$7.83 €6.96

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.39 €1.24

35.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.63 €2.34

-35.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 €2.92

$2.91 €2.59

13.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 €113

$25.46 €22.64

399.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.78 €7.81

$3.00 €2.66

192.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.44 €1.28

176.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.0 €45.38

$33.20 €29.53

53.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.86 €1.65

29.57%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$32.3K €28.8K

28.80%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$31.7K €28.2K

22.95%

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

$369 €328

$183 €163

102.04%

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

$43.01 €38.26

$13.61 €12.11

216.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.83 €40.77

$32.93 €29.29

39.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 €33.56

$54.7 €48.65

-31.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 €16.90

$16.52 €14.70

15.01%

Cinema Ticket

$16.54 €14.71

$11.23 €9.99

47.28%

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

$1,353 €1,204

$954 €849

41.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K €20.0K

$16.6K €14.8K

35.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$86.0 €76.5

32.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.18 €34.85

$39.11 €34.78

0.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 €116

$104 €92.2

25.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$119 €106

14.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 €1,202

$1,695 €1,508

-20.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 €915

$1,276 €1,135

-19.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,851 €3,425

$2,576 €2,291

49.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 €1,434

$1,922 €1,710

-16.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,638 €3,236

$7,281 €6,477

-50.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,248 €2,889

$5,010 €4,456

-35.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 €2,658

$2,227 €1,981

34.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.38

3.28

33.54%

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

Last update for Leeuwarden: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leeuwarden

$1K 39.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 24.1% $248

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leeuwarden

$458 17.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 49.9% $229

Eating Out

Leeuwarden

$345 13.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 21.8% $75

Groceries & Markets

Leeuwarden

$328 12.7%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 1% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Leeuwarden

$189 7.3%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 17.2% $32

Getting Around

Leeuwarden

$169 6.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 72% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Leeuwarden

$71 2.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,351 in Leeuwarden and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leeuwarden pays 34% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $112 in Leeuwarden vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leeuwarden

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

Same time as Leeuwarden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,992

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

Leeuwarden Barcelona 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Leeuwarden
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

Leeuwarden vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leeuwarden and Barcelona differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,588 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Leeuwarden, 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: $1,351 in Leeuwarden versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,353 in Leeuwarden 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 Leeuwarden. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Leeuwarden 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Leeuwarden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.