Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Mortsel: $2,145 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,145

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,145 in Mortsel versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Mortsel $2,145
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,187 in Mortsel versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Mortsel $3,187
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,229 in Mortsel versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Mortsel $4,229
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Mortsel costs roughly 13% less than in Barcelona.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mortsel 58% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.27

$17.59 €15.76

28.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 €86.3

$67.5 €60.5

42.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.14

$13.53 €12.12

0.15%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.81

$3.19 €2.86

33.23%

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

$3.47 €3.11

$2.91 €2.61

19.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.57

$1.89 €1.70

51.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.97

$4.01 €3.59

38.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.11

$4.53 €4.06

26.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.31 €1.17

3.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 €2.58

$2.02 €1.81

42.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.85 €1.66

20.54%

Eggs

$3.94 €3.53

$4.83 €4.33

-18.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 €14.79

$16.74 €15.00

-1.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 €10.84

$9.12 €8.17

32.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.81 €20.44

$19.64 €17.60

16.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.98 €2.67

-6.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.02 €1.81

17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.70 €2.42

-3.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.55

$2.80 €2.51

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.09 €1.87

4.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.07 €1.85

-10.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.46 €1.31

-7.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.94 €0.84

17.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 €11.94

$6.87 €6.16

94.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.64 €7.74

$7.89 €7.07

9.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.41 €1.26

41.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.54 €2.27

-9.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.72

$3.14 €2.82

-3.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 €50.4

$25.45 €22.80

121.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.88

$2.99 €2.68

82.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.47

$1.49 €1.34

84.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.23 €40.53

$33.37 €29.91

35.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.89

$1.80 €1.61

16.67%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$33.2K €29.7K

6.95%

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

$36.4K €32.6K

$31.7K €28.4K

14.80%

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

$220 €197

$180 €162

22.08%

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

$20.70 €18.55

$13.84 €12.40

49.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.54 €42.60

$33.70 €30.20

41.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.18 €36.90

$51.5 €46.16

-20.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 €18.28

$15.96 €14.30

27.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 €14.17

$10.99 €9.85

43.86%

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

$569 €510

$917 €821

-37.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K €19.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

30.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$87.0 €78.0

30.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.86

$38.51 €34.51

24.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.5

$106 €94.8

0.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €133

$120 €107

24.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €834

$1,699 €1,523

-45.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 €729

$1,355 €1,214

-40.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 €1,236

$2,603 €2,332

-47.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,026

$2,062 €1,848

-44.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,305 €3,857

$6,915 €6,196

-37.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,739 €2,454

$5,128 €4,595

-46.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,361 €2,115

$2,211 €1,981

6.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.28

6.71%

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

Last update for Mortsel: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mortsel

$813 37.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 66.7% $542

Groceries & Markets

Mortsel

$359 16.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 10.4% $37

Eating Out

Mortsel

$337 15.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 20.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mortsel

$288 13.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 21% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Mortsel

$187 8.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 15.7% $30

Getting Around

Mortsel

$88 4.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 44.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mortsel

$73 3.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $931 in Mortsel and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mortsel pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $96 in Mortsel vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

Same time as Mortsel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,525

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

Mortsel Barcelona 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mortsel
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

Mortsel vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,145 in Mortsel and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Mortsel is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Mortsel, 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: $931 in Mortsel versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Mortsel 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 10% 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, Mortsel and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.