Cost of Living Comparison Between Leuven and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Leuven and Barcelona

😐 Solo nomad: Leuven is 4.9% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 5.1% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Leuven is 8.2% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 0.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Leuven
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.2 €14.85
$17.41 €15.03
-1.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.5 €80.7
$68.7 €59.3
36.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 €10.17
$13.71 €11.84
-14.08%
Cappuccino
$4.29 €3.71
$2.78 €2.4
54.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 €3.1
$2.8 €2.42
28.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 €2.97
$1.98 €1.71
73.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.99 €4.31
$4.43 €3.83
12.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 €3.22
$4.53 €3.91
-17.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Leuven
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 €1.15
$1.24 €1.07
8.06%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 €1.79
$2.03 €1.75
1.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.03 €2.62
$1.98 €1.71
53.03%
Eggs
$3.55 €3.07
$3.46 €2.99
2.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.84 €10.22
$18.32 €15.82
-35.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.31 €11.49
$9.82 €8.47
35.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.65 €15.24
$19.24 €16.61
-8.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.64 €2.28
$2.61 €2.25
1.15%
Banana (1kg)
$2.37 €2.04
$2.34 €2.02
1.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 €1.83
$2.11 €1.82
0.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.55 €2.2
$2.77 €2.39
-7.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.12 €1.83
$2.04 €1.76
3.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 €1.47
$1.77 €1.53
-3.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.59 €1.37
$1.5 €1.3
6.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 €1.09
$0.85 €0.73
48.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.88 €11.12
$7 €6.04
84.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.93 €6.84
$7.13 €6.16
11.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.44 €2.1
$1.43 €1.24
70.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.2 €1.9
$2.29 €1.98
-3.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Leuven
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.97 €2.56
$3.02 €2.6
-1.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.32 €32.22
$28.97 €25.01
28.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.2 €5.36
$4.59 €3.96
35.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.62 €2.26
$2.02 €1.74
29.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.09 €30.29
$29.56 €25.53
18.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.59
$1.81 €1.56
1.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.2K €26.1K
$38.4K €33.1K
-21.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K €24.1K
$32.4K €28K
-13.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Leuven
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 €159
$190 €164
-3.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.72 €18.76
$22.18 €19.15
-2.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.46 €41.84
$36.37 €31.4
33.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Leuven
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.14 €39.84
$57.4 €49.55
-19.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.29 €14.92
$20.95 €18.09
-17.47%
Cinema Ticket
$14.2 €12.26
$10.8 €9.33
31.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Leuven
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$676 €584
$732 €632
-7.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.5K €11.7K
$15.1K €13.1K
-10.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Leuven
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €89.4
$86.8 €74.9
19.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.89 €27.53
$36.78 €31.76
-13.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.5 €79.8
$102 €88.2
-9.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 €115
$117 €101
13.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Leuven
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,017 €878
$1,581 €1,365
-35.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,096 €946
$1,230 €1,062
-10.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,171 €1,875
$2,707 €2,337
-19.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,760 €1,519
$2,028 €1,751
-13.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,873 €5,071
$6,602 €5,700
-11.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,978 €3,435
$5,045 €4,356
-21.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Leuven
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,234 €2,792
$2,198 €1,898
47.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.83
3.39
12.98%

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

Last update for Leuven: October 29, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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