Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nijmegen and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,659 in Nijmegen, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Nijmegen despite lower rent and utilities.

127

Cost of Living Index in Nijmegen
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Nijmegen Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Nijmegen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,659

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,659 in Nijmegen versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Nijmegen $2,659
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,957 in Nijmegen versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Nijmegen $3,957
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,254 in Nijmegen versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Nijmegen $5,254
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Nijmegen is roughly 8% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nijmegen 95% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.61 €24.73

$17.59 €15.75

56.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 €89.7

$67.5 €60.5

48.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.66 €13.13

$13.53 €12.12

8.35%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.81

$3.19 €2.86

33.23%

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

$3.75 €3.36

$2.91 €2.61

28.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.89 €1.70

36.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.13

$4.01 €3.59

42.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 €5.35

$4.53 €4.06

31.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.31 €1.17

12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.02 €1.81

5.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.85 €1.66

28.65%

Eggs

$5.34 €4.78

$4.83 €4.33

10.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.26 €11.87

$16.74 €14.99

-20.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 €12.49

$9.12 €8.17

52.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.76 €15.01

$19.64 €17.59

-14.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.98 €2.67

-6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.02 €1.81

22.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.70 €2.42

-21.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.27 €4.72

$2.80 €2.51

88.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.07 €1.85

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.46 €1.31

-12.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.94 €0.84

-13.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.91 €12.46

$6.87 €6.15

102.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.10 €6.36

$7.89 €7.06

-10.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.41 €1.26

7.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.36

$2.54 €2.27

3.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 €3.02

$3.14 €2.82

7.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 €125

$25.45 €22.79

450.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 €3.62

$2.99 €2.68

35.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 €2.90

$1.49 €1.34

117.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.88 €40.20

$33.37 €29.89

34.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.80 €1.61

31.11%

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

$41.3K €37.0K

$33.2K €29.7K

24.52%

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

$39.4K €35.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

24.30%

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

$286 €256

$180 €162

58.54%

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

$22.86 €20.47

$13.84 €12.39

65.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.72 €38.26

$33.70 €30.18

26.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.15 €28.79

$51.5 €46.13

-37.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.69 €22.11

$15.96 €14.29

54.70%

Cinema Ticket

$15.89 €14.23

$10.99 €9.85

44.59%

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

$3,160 €2,830

$917 €821

244.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

-0.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €85.2

$87.0 €77.9

9.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 €38.93

$38.51 €34.49

12.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.2

$106 €94.8

-1.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 €152

$120 €107

41.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 €1,467

$1,699 €1,522

-3.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 €1,038

$1,355 €1,214

-14.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,663 €2,385

$2,603 €2,331

2.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 €1,668

$2,062 €1,847

-9.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,131 €5,491

$6,915 €6,193

-11.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,428 €3,966

$5,128 €4,592

-13.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,367 €3,016

$2,211 €1,980

52.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

21.95%

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

Last update for Nijmegen: 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

Nijmegen

$1.2K 43.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 16.9% $196

Eating Out

Nijmegen

$382 14.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 29.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nijmegen

$352 13.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 35.2% $124

Groceries & Markets

Nijmegen

$343 12.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 6.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Nijmegen

$185 7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 14.8% $27

Getting Around

Nijmegen

$174 6.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 72.1% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Nijmegen

$64 2.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 15% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,638 in Nijmegen and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nijmegen pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Nijmegen vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Nijmegen

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

Same time as Nijmegen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,359

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

Nijmegen Barcelona 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nijmegen
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

Nijmegen vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,659 in Nijmegen and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Nijmegen, 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: $1,638 in Nijmegen versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,160 in Nijmegen versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Nijmegen. 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, Nijmegen 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, Nijmegen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.