Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Linz and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Linz: $2,088 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Linz
Learn more

Linz Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Linz

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,088

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,088 in Linz versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Linz $2,088
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,246 in Linz versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Linz $3,246
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,403 in Linz versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Linz $4,403
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Linz costs roughly 15% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Linz 53% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.74 €14.93

$17.59 €15.69

-4.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.0 €69.6

$67.5 €60.2

15.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.87 €11.48

$13.53 €12.07

-4.88%

Cappuccino

$4.51 €4.03

$3.19 €2.85

41.38%

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

$3.88 €3.46

$2.91 €2.60

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.49

$1.89 €1.69

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 €5.45

$4.01 €3.58

52.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.11

$4.53 €4.04

26.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.31 €1.16

12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.02 €1.80

34.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.85 €1.65

-5.95%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.16

$4.83 €4.31

-3.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.38 €17.29

$16.74 €14.93

15.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 €12.80

$9.12 €8.14

57.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.07 €18.80

$19.64 €17.52

7.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.98 €2.66

-9.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.02 €1.80

12.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 €2.90

$2.70 €2.41

20.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 €4.93

$2.80 €2.50

97.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 €2.09

$2.09 €1.86

11.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.07 €1.85

9.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.46 €1.30

36.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.88

$0.94 €0.84

4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 €6.21

$6.87 €6.13

1.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 €5.79

$7.89 €7.04

-17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.41 €1.25

15.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.54 €2.26

-32.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 €2.97

$3.14 €2.80

5.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.0 €58.0

$25.45 €22.70

155.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.17 €6.39

$2.99 €2.67

139.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.49 €1.33

-26.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.63 €24.65

$33.37 €29.78

-17.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.80 €1.60

3.33%

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

$29.7K €26.5K

$33.2K €29.6K

-10.59%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$31.7K €28.3K

7.78%

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

$288 €257

$180 €161

59.79%

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

$15.08 €13.45

$13.84 €12.35

8.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.57 €36.20

$33.70 €30.06

20.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.43 €39.64

$51.5 €45.96

-13.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.43 €20.01

$15.96 €14.24

40.54%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 €11.91

$10.99 €9.81

21.38%

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

$449 €401

$917 €818

-51.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.4K

$16.5K €14.7K

-15.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.6 €88.0

$87.0 €77.7

13.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.29 €35.06

$38.51 €34.35

2.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 €116

$106 €94.4

22.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$120 €107

4.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$804 €717

$1,699 €1,516

-52.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$726 €648

$1,355 €1,209

-46.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,391

$2,603 €2,322

-40.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 €1,256

$2,062 €1,840

-31.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,606 €5,001

$6,915 €6,169

-18.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,692 €3,294

$5,128 €4,575

-28.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,861 €2,553

$2,211 €1,972

29.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

3.28

11.59%

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

Last update for Linz: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Linz

$726 34.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 86.6% $629

Groceries & Markets

Linz

$384 18.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 16.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Linz

$344 16.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 33.7% $116

Eating Out

Linz

$295 14.1%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 9.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Linz

$177 8.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 10.5% $19

Getting Around

Linz

$91 4.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 46.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Linz

$71 3.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 3.4% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $804 in Linz and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Linz pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78 in Linz vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Linz

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

Same time as Linz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

207,812

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Linz Barcelona 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Linz
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

Linz vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,088 in Linz and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Linz is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Linz, 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: $804 in Linz versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $449 in Linz versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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, Linz and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.