Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Stockholm despite lower rent and utilities.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,574 in Stockholm versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Stockholm $2,574
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,871 in Stockholm versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Stockholm $3,871
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,167 in Stockholm versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Stockholm $5,167
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Stockholm is roughly 7% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stockholm 91% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 SEK 180

$17.94 €15.96

1.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 SEK 986

$68.1 €60.5

46.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 SEK 117

$13.28 €11.81

-11.45%

Cappuccino

$4.95 SEK 49.03

$3.25 €2.89

52.31%

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

$3.68 SEK 36.46

$3.01 €2.67

22.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 SEK 31.28

$1.87 €1.66

68.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 SEK 79.8

$3.85 €3.42

109.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 SEK 87.4

$4.48 €3.98

96.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.80

$1.29 €1.15

39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 SEK 38.43

$2.04 €1.81

90.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 SEK 37.99

$1.72 €1.53

122.67%

Eggs

$5.14 SEK 50.9

$4.77 €4.24

7.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.45 SEK 123

$16.77 €14.92

-25.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 SEK 125

$8.93 €7.94

41.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 SEK 217

$19.88 €17.68

10.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 SEK 34.41

$2.98 €2.65

16.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.15

$2.03 €1.80

34.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 SEK 30.54

$2.73 €2.43

12.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 SEK 44.41

$2.68 €2.38

67.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$2.10 €1.87

-15.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.70

$2.08 €1.85

-13.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$1.45 €1.29

65.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.50

$0.89 €0.79

166.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 SEK 86.4

$6.94 €6.17

25.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 SEK 119

$7.78 €6.92

54.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 SEK 20.90

$1.45 €1.29

45.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 SEK 25.34

$2.57 €2.29

-0.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 SEK 42.96

$2.99 €2.66

45.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 SEK 1,063

$25.20 €22.41

325.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 SEK 56.9

$3.12 €2.77

83.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 SEK 14.58

$1.44 €1.28

2.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 566

$33.50 €29.80

70.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.86

$1.79 €1.59

0.56%

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

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

$34.6K €30.8K

-6.40%

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

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

$30.1K €26.7K

11.70%

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

$249 SEK 2,469

$178 €158

40.10%

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

$21.60 SEK 214

$13.32 €11.85

62.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 SEK 398

$34.88 €31.03

15.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.98 SEK 466

$53.3 €47.37

-11.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.15 SEK 378

$16.01 €14.24

138.29%

Cinema Ticket

$19.09 SEK 189

$11.06 €9.84

72.60%

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

$158 SEK 1,569

$957 €851

-83.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

$16.6K €14.7K

-1.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 SEK 1,104

$88.2 €78.4

26.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.0 SEK 584

$39.49 €35.12

49.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 SEK 1,364

$103 €91.5

33.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,847

$121 €108

53.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

$1,653 €1,470

0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

$1,302 €1,158

-17.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

$2,557 €2,275

16.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

$1,915 €1,703

-8.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

$7,286 €6,481

54.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

$5,080 €4,519

24.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

$2,281 €2,029

57.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

3.28

2.74%

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

Last update for Stockholm: 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

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 20.6% $223

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$414 16.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 22.7% $94

Eating Out

Stockholm

$325 12.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 16.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$311 12.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 27.3% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$222 8.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 28.8% $64

Getting Around

Stockholm

$138 5.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 65.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$85 3.3%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 11.5% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,658 in Stockholm and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 57% 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: $100 in Stockholm vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

Same time as Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Stockholm Barcelona 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
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

Stockholm vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stockholm and Barcelona differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,574 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 57% higher in Stockholm, 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: $1,658 in Stockholm versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $158 in Stockholm versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Stockholm. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Stockholm 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 7% less than in Stockholm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.