Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oulu and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Oulu: $1,878 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Oulu
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Oulu Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Oulu

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,878

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,878 in Oulu versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Oulu $1,878
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,905 in Oulu versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Oulu $2,905
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,932 in Oulu versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Oulu $3,932
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Oulu costs roughly 23% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oulu 38% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 €15.65

$17.59 €15.75

-0.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €81.0

$67.5 €60.5

34.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.02 €13.45

$13.53 €12.12

11.01%

Cappuccino

$4.83 €4.32

$3.19 €2.86

51.41%

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

$2.95 €2.65

$2.91 €2.61

1.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.89 €1.70

20.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 €6.87

$4.01 €3.59

91.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 €7.13

$4.53 €4.06

75.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.31 €1.17

-9.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.02 €1.81

12.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.49

$1.85 €1.66

50.27%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.83

$4.83 €4.33

-34.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 €6.63

$16.74 €14.99

-55.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.67 €12.24

$9.12 €8.17

49.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.93 €20.54

$19.64 €17.59

16.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.98 €2.67

-22.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.02 €1.81

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$2.70 €2.42

-22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.76

$2.80 €2.51

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 €0.87

$2.09 €1.87

-53.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.07 €1.85

-20.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 €2.41

$1.46 €1.31

84.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$0.94 €0.84

71.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.25 €11.86

$6.87 €6.15

92.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.35 €11.06

$7.89 €7.06

56.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.24

$1.41 €1.26

156.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.77

$2.54 €2.27

21.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.14 €2.82

-4.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.4 €56.8

$25.45 €22.79

149.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.58 €8.58

$2.99 €2.68

220.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.49 €1.34

6.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.67

$33.37 €29.89

66.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.01

$1.80 €1.61

24.44%

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

$35.9K €32.2K

$33.2K €29.7K

8.21%

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

$37.0K €33.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

16.64%

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

$116 €104

$180 €162

-35.80%

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

$25.74 €23.05

$13.84 €12.39

85.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.15 €18.94

$33.70 €30.18

-37.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.45 €33.54

$51.5 €46.13

-27.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.34 €17.32

$15.96 €14.29

21.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 €15.25

$10.99 €9.85

54.96%

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

$519 €465

$917 €821

-43.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €81.9

$87.0 €77.9

5.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 €39.45

$38.51 €34.49

14.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.9

$106 €94.8

3.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$209 €188

$120 €107

74.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 €759

$1,699 €1,522

-50.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €602

$1,355 €1,214

-50.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 €1,240

$2,603 €2,331

-46.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €931

$2,062 €1,847

-49.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,725 €3,336

$6,915 €6,193

-46.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,990 €1,782

$5,128 €4,592

-61.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,504 €2,242

$2,211 €1,980

13.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

3.28

25.00%

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

Last update for Oulu: 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

Oulu

$673 35.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 102% $683

Groceries & Markets

Oulu

$356 19%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 9.6% $34

Eating Out

Oulu

$318 16.9%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 15.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Oulu

$204 10.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 22.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oulu

$163 8.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 40.1% $65

Getting Around

Oulu

$93 4.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 47.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Oulu

$72 3.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 2.8% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $848 in Oulu and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oulu pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90 in Oulu vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Oulu

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

17:07 5:07 PM

1 h behind Oulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,651

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oulu Barcelona 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Oulu
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

Oulu vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,878 in Oulu and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Oulu is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Oulu, 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: $848 in Oulu versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $519 in Oulu 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, Oulu and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.