Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Passau and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Passau: $1,543 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Passau
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Passau Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Passau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,543

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,543 in Passau versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Passau $1,543
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,586 in Passau versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Passau $2,586
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,630 in Passau versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Passau $3,630
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Passau costs roughly 35% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Passau 14% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.79

$17.89 €15.92

-7.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 €54.4

$66.2 €58.9

-7.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 €10.40

$13.69 €12.18

-14.61%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.52

$3.06 €2.72

29.41%

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

$3.74 €3.33

$3.07 €2.73

21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.78

$1.94 €1.73

61.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 €3.86

$3.87 €3.44

12.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 €4.52

$4.61 €4.10

10.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.30 €1.16

-13.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.86

$2.10 €1.87

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.83 €1.62

78.14%

Eggs

$3.77 €3.35

$4.62 €4.11

-18.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.60

$17.36 €15.44

-18.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.72 €14.87

$9.28 €8.25

80.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.75 €18.45

$19.83 €17.64

4.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$3.01 €2.68

-7.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.03 €1.81

-14.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.65 €2.36

-18.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 €4.04

$2.87 €2.55

58.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.16 €1.92

-30.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.15 €1.91

-25.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.47 €1.31

18.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.88 €0.79

20.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.94 €7.95

$6.93 €6.16

29.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$7.83 €6.96

-29.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.39 €1.24

-28.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.63 €2.34

-33.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$2.91 €2.59

-3.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 €58.3

$25.46 €22.64

157.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 €3.99

$3.00 €2.66

49.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.44 €1.28

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.07 €35.65

$33.20 €29.53

20.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.86 €1.65

4.30%

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

$32.8K €29.1K

$32.3K €28.8K

1.33%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

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

$271 €241

$183 €163

48.47%

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

$16.65 €14.81

$13.61 €12.11

22.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 €47.71

$32.93 €29.29

62.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$12.39 €11.02

$11.23 €9.99

10.33%

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

$675 €601

$954 €849

-29.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K €17.3K

$16.6K €14.8K

17.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 €595

$1,695 €1,508

-60.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 €407

$1,276 €1,135

-64.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 €1,525

$2,576 €2,291

-33.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,340 €1,192

$1,922 €1,710

-30.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,524 €3,135

$2,227 €1,981

58.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.98

3.28

21.34%

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

Last update for Passau: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Passau

$457 29.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 179% $819

Groceries & Markets

Passau

$351 22.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 7.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Passau

$342 22.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 32.9% $112

Eating Out

Passau

$275 17.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 2% $5.4

Getting Around

Passau

$93 6.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 49.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Passau

$25 * 1.6%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 211% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Passau

- * 0%

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

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 $669 in Passau and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Passau pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Passau vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Passau

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

Same time as Passau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,401

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

Passau Barcelona 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Passau
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

Passau vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Passau and Barcelona differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,543 vs $2,381 including rent). Passau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Passau, 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: $669 in Passau versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $675 in Passau versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,543 in Passau versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Passau but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Passau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Passau and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Passau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.