Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg, Netherlands and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $2,318 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,318

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,318 in Middelburg versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Middelburg $2,318
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,367 in Middelburg versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Middelburg $3,367
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,417 in Middelburg versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Middelburg $4,417
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Middelburg costs roughly 6% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Middelburg 70% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.41 €12.02

$17.59 €15.76

-23.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.8

$67.5 €60.5

31.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 €10.87

$13.53 €12.12

-10.35%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.64

$3.19 €2.86

27.27%

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

$3.41 €3.05

$2.91 €2.61

17.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.89 €1.70

75.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 €6.26

$4.01 €3.59

74.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.08

$4.53 €4.06

49.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.31 €1.17

2.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.02 €1.81

12.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.85 €1.66

7.03%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.14

$4.83 €4.33

-4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 €10.96

$16.74 €15.00

-26.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 €11.67

$9.12 €8.17

42.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 €17.21

$19.64 €17.60

-2.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.98 €2.67

-13.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.02 €1.81

8.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.70 €2.42

-24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 €3.30

$2.80 €2.51

31.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$2.09 €1.87

-36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.07 €1.85

-44.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.46 €1.31

-21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.94 €0.84

1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 €10.63

$6.87 €6.16

72.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 €5.40

$7.89 €7.07

-23.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.41 €1.26

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.69

$2.54 €2.27

-25.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.72 €4.23

$2.99 €2.68

57.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 €2.99

$1.49 €1.34

123.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.38 €29.91

$33.37 €29.91

0.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.80 €1.61

29.44%

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

$41.5K €37.2K

$33.2K €29.7K

25.04%

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

$38.8K €34.7K

$31.7K €28.4K

22.25%

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

$148 €133

$180 €162

-17.95%

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

$28.05 €25.13

$13.84 €12.40

102.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 €48.69

$33.70 €30.20

61.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.51 €39.88

$51.5 €46.16

-13.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.17 €12.70

$15.96 €14.30

-11.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.89

$10.99 €9.85

-9.74%

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

$2,582 €2,314

$917 €821

181.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$16.5K €14.8K

-28.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.7 €85.8

$87.0 €78.0

10.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 €38.76

$38.51 €34.51

12.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.3

$106 €94.8

-0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$120 €107

13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,271

$1,699 €1,523

-16.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 €1,115

$1,355 €1,214

-8.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,001 €1,793

$2,603 €2,332

-23.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,864 €1,670

$2,062 €1,848

-9.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 €3,714

$2,211 €1,981

87.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.28

3.66%

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

Last update for Middelburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.7%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 9% $112

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$319 13.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 0.8% $2.6

Eating Out

Middelburg

$268 11.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$230 9.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 1.1% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$171 7.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 7.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$64 2.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 14.2% $9.2

Getting Around

Middelburg

$21 * 0.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 127% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,418 in Middelburg and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays 87% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89 in Middelburg vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $322, with Middelburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

Same time as Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,345

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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Highest

Between locations

Middelburg Barcelona 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
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

Middelburg vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,318 in Middelburg and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Middelburg is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Middelburg, 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: $1,418 in Middelburg versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,582 in Middelburg versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,318 per month in Middelburg versus $2,453 in Barcelona – Middelburg is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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