Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rijswijk and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,594 in Rijswijk, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Rijswijk
Learn more

Rijswijk Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Rijswijk

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,594

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Rijswijk versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Rijswijk $2,594
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,483 in Rijswijk versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Rijswijk $3,483
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,371 in Rijswijk versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Rijswijk $4,371
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Rijswijk 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: Rijswijk 92% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.18 €19.73

$17.94 €15.96

23.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 €68.1

$68.1 €60.5

12.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 €7.80

$13.28 €11.81

-33.96%

Cappuccino

$3.55 €3.16

$3.25 €2.89

9.23%

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

$3.29 €2.92

$3.01 €2.67

9.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.79

$1.87 €1.66

67.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 €6.10

$3.85 €3.42

78.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$4.48 €3.98

34.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.29 €1.15

0.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.04 €1.81

-19.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.72 €1.53

21.51%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.52

$4.77 €4.24

-17.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 €12.03

$16.77 €14.92

-19.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.18 €9.95

$8.93 €7.94

25.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.71 €14.86

$19.88 €17.68

-15.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.98 €2.65

-33.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.03 €1.80

-1.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.73 €2.43

-26.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.68 €2.38

-15.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.10 €1.87

-40.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.08 €1.85

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.45 €1.29

-22.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.89 €0.79

5.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.42 €11.93

$6.94 €6.17

93.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$7.78 €6.92

-28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.45 €1.29

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.57 €2.29

-31.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.09 €4.52

$2.99 €2.66

70.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.8 €64.8

$25.20 €22.41

188.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 €4.17

$3.12 €2.77

50.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 €3.07

$1.44 €1.28

139.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.16 €29.49

$33.50 €29.80

-1.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 €2.19

$1.79 €1.59

37.99%

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

$41.2K €36.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

19.07%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$30.1K €26.7K

27.45%

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

$281 €250

$178 €158

57.91%

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

$19.27 €17.14

$13.32 €11.85

44.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.88 €44.37

$34.88 €31.03

43.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 €36.55

$53.3 €47.37

-22.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$13.78 €12.26

$11.06 €9.84

24.59%

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

$2,414 €2,148

$957 €851

152.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$16.6K €14.7K

-29.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.1 €85.5

$88.2 €78.4

8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.35 €37.67

$39.49 €35.12

7.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$103 €91.5

2.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$121 €108

10.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 €1,265

$1,653 €1,470

-13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 €1,145

$1,302 €1,158

-1.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,507 €1,341

$2,557 €2,275

-41.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 €1,371

$1,915 €1,703

-19.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,777 €3,359

$2,281 €2,029

65.60%

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 Rijswijk: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rijswijk

$1.3K 49.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 1.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rijswijk

$350 13.5%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 35.4% $124

Eating Out

Rijswijk

$318 12.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 15.2% $48

Groceries & Markets

Rijswijk

$285 11%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 12.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Rijswijk

$170 6.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 6.9% $12

Getting Around

Rijswijk

$115 4.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 58.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Rijswijk

$69 2.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 9.8% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,422 in Rijswijk and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rijswijk pays 66% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $77.0 in Rijswijk vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $320, with Rijswijk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rijswijk

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

Same time as Rijswijk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,027

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

Rijswijk Barcelona 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Rijswijk
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

Rijswijk vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rijswijk and Barcelona differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,594 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% higher in Rijswijk, 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: $1,422 in Rijswijk versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,414 in Rijswijk versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Rijswijk pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,594 in Rijswijk, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Rijswijk. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, Rijswijk 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Rijswijk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.