Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maastricht and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,656 in Maastricht, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Maastricht
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Maastricht Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Maastricht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,656

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,656 in Maastricht versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Maastricht $2,656
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,753 in Maastricht versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Maastricht $3,753
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,850 in Maastricht versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Maastricht $4,850
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Maastricht 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: Maastricht 96% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.73 €17.60

$17.66 €15.75

11.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.2

$67.5 €60.2

33.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.41 €11.07

$13.61 €12.14

-8.82%

Cappuccino

$4.36 €3.89

$3.10 €2.77

40.65%

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

$3.84 €3.42

$3.00 €2.68

28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.72

$1.93 €1.72

58.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 €7.64

$3.84 €3.43

123.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €4.97

$4.36 €3.89

27.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.25 €1.11

2.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.15

$2.12 €1.90

13.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.97 €1.76

31.98%

Eggs

$4.56 €4.06

$4.76 €4.25

-4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 €13.23

$17.07 €15.22

-13.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.95 €12.45

$8.96 €7.99

55.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 €13.94

$20.65 €18.42

-24.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$3.16 €2.82

-15.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.97 €1.75

27.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.65 €2.37

-29.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 €3.99

$2.88 €2.57

55.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.06 €1.84

-4.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.18 €1.95

5.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.53 €1.37

-12.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.97 €0.87

-19.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.84 €12.35

$6.97 €6.21

98.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 €6.06

$7.89 €7.04

-13.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.42 €1.26

3.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.69 €2.40

0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 €3.57

$3.31 €2.95

20.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 €79.9

$25.61 €22.84

249.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 €4.41

$3.08 €2.75

60.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.51 €3.13

$1.48 €1.32

137.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.7 €60.4

$32.87 €29.32

105.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.87 €1.66

26.20%

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

$41.9K €37.4K

$33.0K €29.4K

27.10%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$31.9K €28.5K

22.60%

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

$292 €261

$183 €163

59.91%

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

$16.83 €15.01

$14.24 €12.70

18.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.19 €43.88

$34.56 €30.83

42.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.95 €37.42

$51.4 €45.87

-18.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 €24.88

$16.38 €14.62

70.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 €13.87

$11.06 €9.87

40.60%

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

$1,232 €1,099

$944 €842

30.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.8K

$22.3K €19.9K

-40.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.8 €72.1

$87.7 €78.2

-7.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.07 €33.96

$38.77 €34.59

-1.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.6

$105 €93.3

6.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$118 €105

9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 €1,289

$1,697 €1,514

-14.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 €1,132

$1,337 €1,192

-5.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,312 €2,062

$2,692 €2,401

-14.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 €1,584

$2,077 €1,853

-14.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,381 €4,800

$7,155 €6,382

-24.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,770 €3,363

$5,079 €4,530

-25.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,369 €3,005

$2,241 €1,999

50.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

3.19

38.56%

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

Last update for Maastricht: November 3, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maastricht

$1.3K 47.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 5.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maastricht

$358 13.5%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 35.4% $127

Groceries & Markets

Maastricht

$337 12.7%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 2.6% $8.8

Eating Out

Maastricht

$329 12.4%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 18.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Maastricht

$162 6.1%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 3% $4.8

Getting Around

Maastricht

$128 4.8%

Barcelona

$49 2% 61.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Maastricht

$73 2.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 0.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,445 in Maastricht and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maastricht pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Maastricht vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Maastricht

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

Same time as Maastricht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,105

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

Maastricht Barcelona 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Maastricht
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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

Maastricht vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,656 in Maastricht and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Maastricht, 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: $1,445 in Maastricht versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,232 in Maastricht versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Maastricht. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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