Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skovde and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Skovde: $1,761 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Skovde
Learn more

Skovde Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Skovde

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,761

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,761 in Skovde versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Skovde $1,761
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,768 in Skovde versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Skovde $2,768
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,776 in Skovde versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Skovde $3,776
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Skovde costs roughly 28% less than in Barcelona.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Skovde 29% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.25 SEK 130

$17.59 €15.76

-24.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 SEK 799

$67.5 €60.5

20.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 SEK 100

$13.53 €12.12

-24.54%

Cappuccino

$4.19 SEK 41.10

$3.19 €2.86

31.35%

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

$3.02 SEK 29.63

$2.91 €2.61

3.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SEK 23.49

$1.89 €1.70

26.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 SEK 79.4

$4.01 €3.59

101.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.93 SEK 97.5

$4.53 €4.06

119.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.02

$1.31 €1.17

9.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 SEK 27.99

$2.02 €1.81

41.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 SEK 44.73

$1.85 €1.66

146.49%

Eggs

$3.68 SEK 36.10

$4.83 €4.33

-23.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 SEK 98.1

$16.74 €15.00

-40.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.20 SEK 130

$9.12 €8.17

44.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.04 SEK 177

$19.64 €17.60

-8.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 40.73

$2.98 €2.67

39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 SEK 27.12

$2.02 €1.81

36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 SEK 34.41

$2.70 €2.42

29.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 SEK 50.8

$2.80 €2.51

84.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 SEK 15.11

$2.09 €1.87

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.56

$2.07 €1.85

-18.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.25

$1.46 €1.31

76.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 SEK 12.99

$0.94 €0.84

40.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.10 SEK 79.6

$6.87 €6.16

17.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 SEK 76.7

$7.89 €7.07

-1.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 SEK 24.67

$1.41 €1.26

78.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 SEK 25.17

$2.54 €2.27

0.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.71 SEK 36.39

$3.14 €2.82

18.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.8 SEK 823

$25.45 €22.80

229.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 SEK 51.7

$2.99 €2.68

76.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 SEK 12.71

$1.49 €1.34

-13.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 SEK 595

$33.37 €29.91

81.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.55

$1.80 €1.61

-0.56%

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

$33.7K SEK 330.8K

$33.2K €29.7K

1.50%

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

$33.7K SEK 331.2K

$31.7K €28.4K

6.39%

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

$111 SEK 1,092

$180 €162

-38.37%

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

$10.90 SEK 107

$13.84 €12.40

-21.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.39 SEK 475

$33.70 €30.20

43.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.63 SEK 360

$51.5 €46.16

-28.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.70 SEK 292

$15.96 €14.30

86.09%

Cinema Ticket

$17.99 SEK 177

$10.99 €9.85

63.69%

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

$126 SEK 1,234

$917 €821

-86.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,824 SEK 47.4K

$16.5K €14.8K

-70.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 SEK 1,019

$87.0 €78.0

19.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.95 SEK 294

$38.51 €34.51

-22.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 SEK 588

$106 €94.8

-43.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$200 SEK 1,960

$120 €107

66.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 SEK 7,880

$1,699 €1,523

-52.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 SEK 5,813

$1,355 €1,214

-56.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 SEK 13.3K

$2,603 €2,332

-47.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 SEK 9,853

$2,062 €1,848

-51.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,027 SEK 39.5K

$6,915 €6,196

-41.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,847 SEK 28.0K

$5,128 €4,595

-44.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,253 SEK 31.9K

$2,211 €1,981

47.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-8.54%

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

Last update for Skovde: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skovde

$592 33.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 129% $763

Groceries & Markets

Skovde

$370 21%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 13.1% $49

Eating Out

Skovde

$269 15.3%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 0.3% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Skovde

$177 10%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 10.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skovde

$170 9.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 33.7% $57

Getting Around

Skovde

$110 6.3%

Barcelona

$48 2% 56.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Skovde

$73 4.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 1.2% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $803 in Skovde and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skovde pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81 in Skovde vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Skovde

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

Same time as Skovde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,466

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Skovde Barcelona 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Skovde
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

Skovde vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,761 in Skovde and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Skovde is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Skovde, 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: $803 in Skovde versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $126 in Skovde 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 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,761 in Skovde versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Skovde but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Skovde 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, Skovde and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.