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

😐 Solo nomad: Mechelen is 34% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 10.9% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mechelen is 19.6% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 7.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.26 €20.08
$17.41 €15.03
33.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$114 €98.7
$68.7 €59.3
66.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.79 €11.04
$13.71 €11.84
-6.71%
Cappuccino
$4.06 €3.51
$2.78 €2.4
46.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 €2.87
$2.8 €2.42
18.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 €2.71
$1.98 €1.71
58.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.72 €4.94
$4.43 €3.83
29.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 €3.96
$4.53 €3.91
1.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.13
$1.24 €1.07
5.65%
White Bread (500g)
$2.67 €2.31
$2.03 €1.75
31.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 €2.03
$1.98 €1.71
18.69%
Eggs
$3.98 €3.44
$3.46 €2.99
15.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.5 €15.11
$18.32 €15.82
-4.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.94 €10.31
$9.82 €8.47
21.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.02 €16.42
$19.24 €16.61
-1.14%
Apples (1kg)
$3 €2.59
$2.61 €2.25
14.94%
Banana (1kg)
$2.37 €2.04
$2.34 €2.02
1.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.28 €1.96
$2.11 €1.82
8.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.02 €2.61
$2.77 €2.39
9.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.91 €1.65
$2.04 €1.76
-6.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.16 €1.86
$1.77 €1.53
22.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 €1.15
$1.5 €1.3
-11.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 €0.7
$0.85 €0.73
-4.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.69 €10.95
$7 €6.04
81.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.22 €7.96
$7.13 €6.16
29.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 €1.58
$1.43 €1.24
27.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.04
$2.29 €1.98
3.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.16 €2.73
$3.02 €2.6
4.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.9 €48.29
$28.97 €25.01
93.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.9 €5.1
$4.59 €3.96
28.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.46 €2.13
$2.02 €1.74
21.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$45.87 €39.6
$29.56 €25.53
55.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.59
$1.81 €1.56
1.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €29.1K
$38.4K €33.1K
-12.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K €28.6K
$32.4K €28K
2.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$207 €179
$190 €164
9.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.98 €21.57
$22.18 €19.15
12.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.5 €43.63
$36.37 €31.4
38.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.39 €27.1
$57.4 €49.55
-45.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.71 €11.83
$20.95 €18.09
-34.56%
Cinema Ticket
$15.09 €13.03
$10.8 €9.33
39.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$582 €502
$732 €632
-20.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.4K €11.6K
$15.1K €13.1K
-11.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 €95.4
$86.8 €74.9
27.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.1 €44.11
$36.78 €31.76
38.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €91.6
$102 €88.2
3.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$160 €139
$117 €101
37.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$893 €771
$1,581 €1,365
-43.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$746 €644
$1,230 €1,062
-39.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,373 €1,185
$2,707 €2,337
-49.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,119 €966
$2,028 €1,751
-44.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,463 €2,990
$6,602 €5,700
-47.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,925 €2,526
$5,045 €4,356
-42.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mechelen
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,397 €2,070
$2,198 €1,898
9.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.27
3.39
-3.54%

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

Last update for Mechelen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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