Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lelystad and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Lelystad: $1,710 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

82

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
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Lelystad Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,710

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,710 in Lelystad versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Lelystad $1,710
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,651 in Lelystad versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Lelystad $2,651
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,592 in Lelystad versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Lelystad $3,592
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Lelystad costs roughly 30% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lelystad 26% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €20.00

$17.59 €15.80

26.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 €74.0

$67.5 €60.6

22.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €12.01

$13.53 €12.15

-1.18%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$3.19 €2.87

28.53%

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

$2.60 €2.34

$2.91 €2.62

-10.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.89 €1.70

23.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.20 €4.67

$4.01 €3.60

29.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.05

$4.53 €4.07

-0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.31 €1.17

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.46

$2.02 €1.81

-19.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.85 €1.66

29.73%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.13

$4.83 €4.34

-4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.80 €6.11

$16.74 €15.03

-59.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.20 €12.75

$9.12 €8.19

55.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.57 €14.89

$19.64 €17.64

-15.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.98 €2.68

-29.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.02 €1.81

21.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.65

$2.70 €2.43

-32.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 €3.17

$2.80 €2.52

26.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.09 €1.87

-16.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.07 €1.86

-15.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.46 €1.31

-12.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.94 €0.84

-13.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.44 €8.48

$6.87 €6.17

37.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 €6.15

$7.89 €7.08

-13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.41 €1.26

-9.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.18

$2.54 €2.28

-4.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €99.4

$25.45 €22.86

334.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 €3.34

$2.99 €2.69

24.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.49 €1.34

76.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.07 €23.42

$33.37 €29.98

-21.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.80 €1.61

21.11%

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

$33.6K €30.1K

$33.2K €29.8K

1.09%

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

$39.4K €35.4K

$31.7K €28.5K

24.17%

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

$242 €217

$180 €162

33.95%

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

$14.72 €13.22

$13.84 €12.43

6.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.30 €29.01

$33.70 €30.27

-4.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.75 €38.40

$51.5 €46.27

-17.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$13.62 €12.24

$10.99 €9.88

23.93%

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

$2,725 €2,448

$917 €823

197.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,152 €7,323

$16.5K €14.8K

-50.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €83.5

$87.0 €78.2

6.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.39 €43.47

$38.51 €34.59

25.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €84.2

$106 €95.1

-11.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$120 €108

-3.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 €600

$1,699 €1,527

-60.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 €402

$1,355 €1,217

-66.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 €1,195

$2,603 €2,338

-48.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 €692

$2,062 €1,853

-62.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,420 €2,173

$2,211 €1,986

9.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

3.28

-1.52%

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

Last update for Lelystad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lelystad

$447 26.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 203% $908

Eating Out

Lelystad

$322 18.8%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 16.9% $54

Groceries & Markets

Lelystad

$297 17.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 8.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lelystad

$289 16.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 21% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Lelystad

$158 9.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 0.2% $0.4

Getting Around

Lelystad

$128 * 7.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 62% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Lelystad

$70 4.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 5% $3.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in Lelystad and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lelystad pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82 in Lelystad vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $322, with Lelystad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

Same time as Lelystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,598

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

Lelystad Barcelona 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lelystad
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

Lelystad vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,710 in Lelystad and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Lelystad is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Lelystad, 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: $668 in Lelystad versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,725 in Lelystad 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 8% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,710 in Lelystad versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lelystad but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Lelystad 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, Lelystad and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.