Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szczecin and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Szczecin: $1,343 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Szczecin
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Szczecin Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Szczecin

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,343

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,343 in Szczecin versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Szczecin $1,343
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,997 in Szczecin versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Szczecin $1,997
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,651 in Szczecin versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Szczecin $2,651
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Szczecin costs roughly 44% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Szczecin is 1% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.13 zł 35.49

$17.94 €15.96

-49.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.70 zł 178

$68.1 €60.5

-32.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.22 zł 31.94

$13.28 €11.81

-38.10%

Cappuccino

$2.96 zł 11.50

$3.25 €2.89

-8.92%

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

$1.86 zł 7.22

$3.01 €2.67

-38.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 zł 5.42

$1.87 €1.66

-25.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 zł 11.70

$3.85 €3.42

-21.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 zł 11.53

$4.48 €3.98

-33.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 zł 3.56

$1.29 €1.15

-28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 zł 5.01

$2.04 €1.81

-36.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 zł 4.27

$1.72 €1.53

-36.05%

Eggs

$3.35 zł 13.02

$4.77 €4.24

-29.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 zł 36.22

$16.77 €14.92

-44.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 zł 24.99

$8.93 €7.94

-28.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.89 zł 50.1

$19.88 €17.68

-35.16%

Apples (1kg)

$0.89 zł 3.46

$2.98 €2.65

-70.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 zł 6.50

$2.03 €1.80

-17.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 zł 5.90

$2.73 €2.43

-44.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 zł 9.03

$2.68 €2.38

-13.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 zł 3.28

$2.10 €1.87

-60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 zł 4.04

$2.08 €1.85

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 zł 4.27

$1.45 €1.29

-24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 zł 2.17

$0.89 €0.79

-37.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 zł 20.43

$6.94 €6.17

-24.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 zł 24.05

$7.78 €6.92

-20.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 zł 4.13

$1.45 €1.29

-26.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 zł 5.71

$2.57 €2.29

-42.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 zł 3.04

$2.99 €2.66

-73.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 zł 98.9

$25.20 €22.41

1.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 zł 7.70

$3.12 €2.77

-36.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 zł 3.40

$1.44 €1.28

-39.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.65 zł 49.15

$33.50 €29.80

-62.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 zł 6.37

$1.79 €1.59

-8.38%

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

$30.0K zł 116.6K

$34.6K €30.8K

-13.33%

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

$27.9K zł 108.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

-7.08%

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

$241 zł 937

$178 €158

35.55%

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

$12.23 zł 47.52

$13.32 €11.85

-8.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.03 zł 73.9

$34.88 €31.03

-45.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.45 zł 118

$53.3 €47.37

-42.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.3 zł 196

$16.01 €14.24

214.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 zł 24.32

$11.06 €9.84

-43.40%

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

$335 zł 1,301

$957 €851

-65.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,493 zł 29.1K

$16.6K €14.7K

-54.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 zł 268

$88.2 €78.4

-21.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.31 zł 137

$39.49 €35.12

-10.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 zł 310

$103 €91.5

-22.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 zł 352

$121 €108

-25.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 zł 2,339

$1,653 €1,470

-63.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 zł 1,922

$1,302 €1,158

-61.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 zł 4,415

$2,557 €2,275

-55.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 zł 3,240

$1,915 €1,703

-56.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,284 zł 12.8K

$7,286 €6,481

-54.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,343 zł 9,102

$5,080 €4,519

-53.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,556 zł 6,046

$2,281 €2,029

-31.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.28

107.93%

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

Last update for Szczecin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szczecin

$495 36.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 163% $807

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szczecin

$272 20.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 17% $46

Groceries & Markets

Szczecin

$207 15.4%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 54.5% $113

Eating Out

Szczecin

$167 12.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 61.5% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Szczecin

$124 9.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 28.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Szczecin

$43 3.2%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 75.4% $32

Getting Around

Szczecin

$35 2.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 35.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $602 in Szczecin and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 47% 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: $46.00 in Szczecin vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $320 per month, with Szczecin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Szczecin

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

Same time as Szczecin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

387,700

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

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

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Szczecin Barcelona 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Szczecin
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

Szczecin vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Szczecin and Barcelona differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,343 vs $2,399 including rent). Szczecin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $602 in Szczecin versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $335 in Szczecin 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 55% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,343 in Szczecin versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szczecin but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Szczecin 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, Szczecin 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 Szczecin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.