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Cost of Living Comparison Between Mechelen and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Mechelen and Barcelona

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Mechelen is 28.4% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 13.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Mechelen is 19.4% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 9.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.09 โ‚ฌ19.90
$17.08 โ‚ฌ14.72
35.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$116 โ‚ฌ100
$69.5 โ‚ฌ59.9
67.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.98 โ‚ฌ11.19
$13.87 โ‚ฌ11.95
-6.42%
Cappuccino
$4.08 โ‚ฌ3.52
$2.75 โ‚ฌ2.37
48.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.34 โ‚ฌ2.88
$2.72 โ‚ฌ2.34
22.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 โ‚ฌ2.72
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
59.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.45 โ‚ฌ4.69
$4.43 โ‚ฌ3.82
23.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.54 โ‚ฌ3.92
$4.61 โ‚ฌ3.98
-1.52%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 โ‚ฌ1.11
$1.28 โ‚ฌ1.11
0.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.65 โ‚ฌ2.28
$2.05 โ‚ฌ1.77
29.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 โ‚ฌ2.00
$1.93 โ‚ฌ1.67
20.21%
Eggs
$3.98 โ‚ฌ3.43
$3.46 โ‚ฌ2.98
15.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.31 โ‚ฌ14.92
$18.86 โ‚ฌ16.26
-8.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.72 โ‚ฌ10.11
$9.52 โ‚ฌ8.21
23.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.94 โ‚ฌ16.32
$18.88 โ‚ฌ16.28
0.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 โ‚ฌ2.59
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
15.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.37 โ‚ฌ2.04
$2.46 โ‚ฌ2.12
-3.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 โ‚ฌ1.94
$2.18 โ‚ฌ1.88
3.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.00 โ‚ฌ2.59
$2.85 โ‚ฌ2.46
5.26%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 โ‚ฌ1.57
$1.95 โ‚ฌ1.68
-6.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 โ‚ฌ1.80
$1.85 โ‚ฌ1.59
12.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 โ‚ฌ1.14
$1.46 โ‚ฌ1.26
-9.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 โ‚ฌ0.72
$0.91 โ‚ฌ0.78
-7.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.92 โ‚ฌ11.14
$7.10 โ‚ฌ6.12
81.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.26 โ‚ฌ7.98
$7.15 โ‚ฌ6.16
29.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 โ‚ฌ1.53
$1.43 โ‚ฌ1.23
24.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 โ‚ฌ1.97
$2.32 โ‚ฌ2.00
-1.29%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.22 โ‚ฌ2.78
$3.00 โ‚ฌ2.59
7.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.9 โ‚ฌ48.18
$28.36 โ‚ฌ24.45
97.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.65 โ‚ฌ4.87
$4.56 โ‚ฌ3.93
23.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.44 โ‚ฌ2.10
$2.12 โ‚ฌ1.83
15.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$46.95 โ‚ฌ40.47
$29.59 โ‚ฌ25.50
58.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 โ‚ฌ1.60
$1.86 โ‚ฌ1.61
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K โ‚ฌ28.6K
$38.5K โ‚ฌ33.2K
-13.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K โ‚ฌ28.8K
$32.5K โ‚ฌ28.0K
2.84%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$204 โ‚ฌ176
$184 โ‚ฌ159
10.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.59 โ‚ฌ22.06
$22.87 โ‚ฌ19.72
11.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.7 โ‚ฌ43.66
$37.73 โ‚ฌ32.52
34.24%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.91 โ‚ฌ26.65
$58.0 โ‚ฌ49.99
-46.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.04 โ‚ฌ12.10
$21.16 โ‚ฌ18.24
-33.65%
Cinema Ticket
$15.21 โ‚ฌ13.11
$11.17 โ‚ฌ9.63
36.17%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$583 โ‚ฌ503
$704 โ‚ฌ607
-17.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.6K โ‚ฌ11.8K
$14.9K โ‚ฌ12.9K
-8.63%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$110 โ‚ฌ95.2
$87.4 โ‚ฌ75.4
26.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.8 โ‚ฌ43.79
$37.30 โ‚ฌ32.15
36.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 โ‚ฌ94.6
$104 โ‚ฌ89.6
5.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 โ‚ฌ141
$117 โ‚ฌ101
39.85%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$917 โ‚ฌ790
$1,534 โ‚ฌ1,322
-40.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$756 โ‚ฌ652
$1,227 โ‚ฌ1,057
-38.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,324 โ‚ฌ1,141
$2,779 โ‚ฌ2,395
-52.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,080 โ‚ฌ931
$2,014 โ‚ฌ1,736
-46.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,370 โ‚ฌ2,043
$6,981 โ‚ฌ6,018
-66.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,156 โ‚ฌ997
$4,821 โ‚ฌ4,155
-76.01%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,310 โ‚ฌ1,991
$2,473 โ‚ฌ2,132
-6.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.27
3.39
-3.54%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mechelen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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