Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solingen and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Solingen: $2,001 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Solingen
Learn more

Solingen Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Solingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,001

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,001 in Solingen versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Solingen $2,001
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,003 in Solingen versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Solingen $3,003
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,006 in Solingen versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Solingen $4,006
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Solingen costs roughly 17% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Solingen 48% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 €17.11

$17.94 €15.96

7.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 €65.4

$68.1 €60.5

7.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €11.99

$13.28 €11.81

1.51%

Cappuccino

$3.88 €3.45

$3.25 €2.89

19.38%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$3.01 €2.67

3.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.59

$1.87 €1.66

56.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 €4.55

$3.85 €3.42

32.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.00

$4.48 €3.98

0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.29 €1.15

-2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.04 €1.81

1.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$1.72 €1.53

72.09%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$4.77 €4.24

-18.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.36 €14.55

$16.77 €14.92

-2.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.38

$8.93 €7.94

43.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.56 €20.06

$19.88 €17.68

13.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.98 €2.65

4.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.03 €1.80

4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.73 €2.43

-21.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.46

$2.68 €2.38

45.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.06

$2.10 €1.87

-42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.08 €1.85

-37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.45 €1.29

8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.89 €0.79

30.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 €8.84

$6.94 €6.17

43.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$7.78 €6.92

-27.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.45 €1.29

-27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.57 €2.29

-43.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.99 €2.66

14.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 €57.9

$25.20 €22.41

158.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 €4.46

$3.12 €2.77

60.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.44 €1.28

111.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.45 €34.20

$33.50 €29.80

14.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.79 €1.59

22.91%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

-3.51%

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

$37.6K €33.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

25.14%

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

$330 €294

$178 €158

85.63%

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

$19.79 €17.61

$13.32 €11.85

48.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.22 €36.66

$34.88 €31.03

18.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.77 €35.37

$53.3 €47.37

-25.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.78 €21.15

$16.01 €14.24

48.53%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$11.06 €9.84

38.25%

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

$470 €418

$957 €851

-50.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,286 €8,260

$16.6K €14.7K

-43.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.2

$88.2 €78.4

7.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.74 €37.13

$39.49 €35.12

5.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.2

$103 €91.5

8.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$121 €108

36.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 €749

$1,653 €1,470

-49.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 €543

$1,302 €1,158

-53.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 €1,220

$2,557 €2,275

-46.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 €910

$1,915 €1,703

-46.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,992 €4,441

$7,286 €6,481

-31.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,334 €2,966

$5,080 €4,519

-34.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,206 €4,631

$2,281 €2,029

128.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.28

20.43%

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

Last update for Solingen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solingen

$611 30.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 113% $691

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solingen

$391 19.6%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 42.2% $165

Groceries & Markets

Solingen

$344 17.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 6.9% $24

Eating Out

Solingen

$300 15%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 9.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Solingen

$186 9.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 15% $28

Getting Around

Solingen

$99 5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 52.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Solingen

$70 3.5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 7.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $842 in Solingen and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solingen pays 128% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Solingen vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Solingen

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

Same time as Solingen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,205

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

Solingen Barcelona 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Solingen
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

Solingen vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Solingen and Barcelona differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,001 vs $2,399 including rent). Solingen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 128% higher in Solingen, 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: $842 in Solingen versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $470 in Solingen versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,001 in Solingen versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Solingen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Solingen 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, Solingen 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 Solingen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.