Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schiedam and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Schiedam and in Barcelona: $2,499 and $2,381 a month, rent and utilities included.

122

Cost of Living Index in Schiedam
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Schiedam Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Schiedam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,499

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Schiedam versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Schiedam $2,499
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,684 in Schiedam versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Schiedam $3,684
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,869 in Schiedam versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Schiedam $4,869
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Schiedam is roughly 5% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Schiedam 84% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.36 €17.22

$17.89 €15.92

8.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 €79.2

$66.2 €58.9

34.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.23 €13.55

$13.69 €12.18

11.25%

Cappuccino

$4.13 €3.68

$3.06 €2.72

34.97%

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

$3.56 €3.17

$3.07 €2.73

15.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.55

$1.94 €1.73

47.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 €6.39

$3.87 €3.44

85.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 €6.05

$4.61 €4.10

47.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.30 €1.16

3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.10 €1.87

2.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.83 €1.62

31.69%

Eggs

$4.51 €4.01

$4.62 €4.11

-2.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.61 €12.99

$17.36 €15.44

-15.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.87 €11.45

$9.28 €8.25

38.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.85 €14.10

$19.83 €17.64

-20.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$3.01 €2.68

-12.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.03 €1.81

8.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.65 €2.36

-26.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 €4.19

$2.87 €2.55

64.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.16 €1.92

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$2.15 €1.91

-38.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.47 €1.31

-24.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.88 €0.79

-15.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.34 €11.86

$6.93 €6.16

92.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.79 €5.15

$7.83 €6.96

-26.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.39 €1.24

-4.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.63 €2.34

-25.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.91 €2.59

-21.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.9 €80.8

$25.46 €22.64

256.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 €2.96

$3.00 €2.66

11.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 €2.99

$1.44 €1.28

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.43 €19.95

$33.20 €29.53

-32.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.86 €1.65

26.88%

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

$41.4K €36.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

28.11%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$31.7K €28.2K

23.68%

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

$272 €242

$183 €163

48.82%

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

$16.73 €14.88

$13.61 €12.11

22.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.7 €48.61

$32.93 €29.29

65.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.72 €24.66

$54.7 €48.65

-49.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.56 €20.95

$16.52 €14.70

42.62%

Cinema Ticket

$15.46 €13.75

$11.23 €9.99

37.67%

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

$1,767 €1,572

$954 €849

85.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$16.6K €14.8K

-30.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 €103

$86.0 €76.5

34.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.86 €31.90

$39.11 €34.78

-8.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.9

$104 €92.2

6.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €122

$119 €106

15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 €1,418

$1,695 €1,508

-6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 €1,026

$1,276 €1,135

-9.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,365 €2,103

$2,576 €2,291

-8.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 €1,667

$1,922 €1,710

-2.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,657 €5,031

$7,281 €6,477

-22.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,081 €3,630

$5,010 €4,456

-18.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,469 €2,196

$2,227 €1,981

10.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

3.28

-14.63%

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

Last update for Schiedam: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schiedam

$1.2K 46.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 10.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schiedam

$343 13.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 33.2% $114

Eating Out

Schiedam

$325 13%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 17.2% $56

Groceries & Markets

Schiedam

$319 12.7%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 2.1% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Schiedam

$180 7.2%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 13% $23

Getting Around

Schiedam

$120 4.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 60.6% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Schiedam

$59 2.4%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 31.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,594 in Schiedam and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schiedam pays 11% 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: $89.0 in Schiedam vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $325, with Schiedam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Schiedam

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

Same time as Schiedam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,730

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

Schiedam Barcelona 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Schiedam
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

Schiedam vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schiedam and Barcelona differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,499 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Schiedam, 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: $1,594 in Schiedam versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,767 in Schiedam versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Schiedam pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Schiedam 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 5% less than in Schiedam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.