Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ruesselsheim and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ruesselsheim: $2,027 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ruesselsheim
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,027
/mo nomad
Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,381
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,027 in Ruesselsheim versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

  • Ruesselsheim $2,027
  • Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,071 in Ruesselsheim versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

  • Ruesselsheim $3,071
  • Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,115 in Ruesselsheim versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

  • Ruesselsheim $4,115
  • Barcelona $4,431

Living in Ruesselsheim costs roughly 15% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ruesselsheim 50% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ruesselsheim
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.87 €15.01
$17.89 €15.92
-5.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$87.8 €78.1
$66.2 €58.9
32.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.38 €11.90
$13.69 €12.18
-2.26%
Cappuccino
$4.39 €3.91
$3.06 €2.72
43.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 €3.29
$3.07 €2.73
20.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 €3.19
$1.94 €1.73
84.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.73 €5.10
$3.87 €3.44
48.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.64 €5.02
$4.61 €4.10
22.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ruesselsheim
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.30 €1.16
6.92%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 €1.97
$2.10 €1.87
5.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.07 €2.73
$1.83 €1.62
67.76%
Eggs
$3.91 €3.48
$4.62 €4.11
-15.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.82 €12.29
$17.36 €15.44
-20.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.88 €10.56
$9.28 €8.25
28.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.69 €19.30
$19.83 €17.64
9.38%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 €2.69
$3.01 €2.68
0.66%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.80
$2.03 €1.81
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 €1.76
$2.65 €2.36
-25.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.98 €3.54
$2.87 €2.55
38.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 €1.52
$2.16 €1.92
-20.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.15 €1.91
-13.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.47 €1.31
6.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 €0.93
$0.88 €0.79
19.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.75 €8.67
$6.93 €6.16
40.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.72 €5.09
$7.83 €6.96
-26.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 €0.99
$1.39 €1.24
-19.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.25
$2.63 €2.34
-46.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Ruesselsheim
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.42 €3.04
$2.91 €2.59
17.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.9 €60.4
$25.46 €22.64
166.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.48 €3.98
$3.00 €2.66
49.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.44 €1.28
57.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.59 €20.99
$33.20 €29.53
-28.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.26 €2.01
$1.86 €1.65
21.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K €29.7K
$32.3K €28.8K
3.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.7K €33.5K
$31.7K €28.2K
18.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ruesselsheim
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$383 €341
$183 €163
109.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.97 €17.77
$13.61 €12.11
46.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.58 €41.44
$32.93 €29.29
41.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ruesselsheim
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.61 €34.34
$54.7 €48.65
-29.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.46 €23.54
$16.52 €14.70
60.17%
Cinema Ticket
$16.86 €15.00
$11.23 €9.99
50.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ruesselsheim
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 €415
$954 €849
-51.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.8K €20.3K
$16.6K €14.8K
37.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ruesselsheim
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €77.4
$86.0 €76.5
1.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.93 €29.29
$39.11 €34.78
-15.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.1 €74.8
$104 €92.2
-18.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 €95.2
$119 €106
-9.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ruesselsheim
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$798 €709
$1,695 €1,508
-52.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$638 €568
$1,276 €1,135
-50.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,514 €1,347
$2,576 €2,291
-41.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 €1,015
$1,922 €1,710
-40.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,902 €4,361
$7,281 €6,477
-32.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,316 €2,950
$5,010 €4,456
-33.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ruesselsheim
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,227 €1,981
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.61
3.28
10.06%

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

Last update for Ruesselsheim: 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
Ruesselsheim
$638
Barcelona
$1.3K 100% $638
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ruesselsheim
$450
Barcelona
$229 49% $221
Groceries & Markets
Ruesselsheim
$333
Barcelona
$325 2.2% $7.5
Eating Out
Ruesselsheim
$297
Barcelona
$270 9.2% $27
Clothing & Footwear
Ruesselsheim
$140
Barcelona
$156 11.7% $16
Getting Around
Ruesselsheim
$97
Barcelona
$47 51.4% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Ruesselsheim
$72
Barcelona
$77 6.7% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $798 in Ruesselsheim and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $88.0 in Ruesselsheim vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Ruesselsheim
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🕒 Local time
23:34 11:34 PM
23:34 11:34 PM
Same time as Ruesselsheim
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
59,730
1,660,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ruesselsheim Barcelona 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ruesselsheim
  • 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
Ruesselsheim vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ruesselsheim and in Barcelona?
Ruesselsheim and Barcelona differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,027 vs $2,381 including rent). Ruesselsheim is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Ruesselsheim compared to Barcelona?
You'd need roughly $3,041 in Ruesselsheim and $3,571 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Ruesselsheim and in Barcelona?
Rent for a central apartment: $798 in Ruesselsheim versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ruesselsheim and Barcelona?
Childcare runs $466 in Ruesselsheim versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $2,027 in Ruesselsheim versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ruesselsheim but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Ruesselsheim the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ruesselsheim and Barcelona?
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.
Is Ruesselsheim or Barcelona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ruesselsheim 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.
Where should expats move: Ruesselsheim or Barcelona?
Expats usually find Ruesselsheim gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ruesselsheim vs other spots: cost of living compared

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