Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,733 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,733

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in The Hague versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

The Hague $2,733
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,089 in The Hague versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

The Hague $4,089
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,446 in The Hague versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

The Hague $5,446
Barcelona $4,421

Living in The Hague is roughly 14% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Hague 102% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.88

$17.94 €15.96

24.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 €77.8

$68.1 €60.5

28.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.89 €13.24

$13.28 €11.81

12.12%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.91

$3.25 €2.89

35.08%

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

$4.28 €3.81

$3.01 €2.67

42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$1.87 €1.66

118.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 €6.37

$3.85 €3.42

85.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.64 €6.79

$4.48 €3.98

70.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.29 €1.15

15.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.04 €1.81

12.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.72 €1.53

45.93%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.20

$4.77 €4.24

-0.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.45 €12.85

$16.77 €14.92

-13.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.18 €11.73

$8.93 €7.94

47.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.25 €17.12

$19.88 €17.68

-3.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.98 €2.65

-15.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.03 €1.80

9.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.73 €2.43

-27.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.60 €3.20

$2.68 €2.38

34.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.10 €1.87

-38.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.08 €1.85

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.45 €1.29

-22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.89 €0.79

4.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.47 €12.87

$6.94 €6.17

108.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 €5.24

$7.78 €6.92

-24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.45 €1.29

-8.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.57 €2.29

-24.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 €4.08

$2.99 €2.66

53.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 €81.0

$25.20 €22.41

261.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 €4.03

$3.12 €2.77

45.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.44 €1.28

130.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.71 €29.99

$33.50 €29.80

0.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.79 €1.59

40.78%

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

$41.4K €36.9K

$34.6K €30.8K

19.64%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$30.1K €26.7K

31.33%

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

$281 €250

$178 €158

58.27%

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

$28.39 €25.25

$13.32 €11.85

113.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 €48.31

$34.88 €31.03

55.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €44.82

$53.3 €47.37

-5.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.94 €21.30

$16.01 €14.24

49.53%

Cinema Ticket

$16.49 €14.67

$11.06 €9.84

49.10%

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

$2,400 €2,135

$957 €851

150.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$16.6K €14.7K

-30.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.2

$88.2 €78.4

8.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.79

$39.49 €35.12

10.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$103 €91.5

5.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$121 €108

12.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$1,653 €1,470

-0.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 €1,148

$1,302 €1,158

-0.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,798 €2,489

$2,557 €2,275

9.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,915 €1,703

18.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,067 €5,396

$7,286 €6,481

-16.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,538 €4,037

$5,080 €4,519

-10.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,069 €3,619

$2,281 €2,029

78.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.28

3.66%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 0.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$364 13.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 37.9% $138

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 25.1% $91

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$330 12.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 3.1% $10

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$173 6.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 8.3% $14

Getting Around

The Hague

$131 4.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 63.6% $83

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$83 3.1%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 9.6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,640 in The Hague and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Hague pays 78% 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: $87.0 in The Hague vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

Same time as The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

The Hague Barcelona 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

The Hague
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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

The Hague vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Hague and Barcelona differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,733 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 78% higher in The Hague, 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: $1,640 in The Hague versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,400 in The Hague 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 3% higher in The Hague. 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, The Hague 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 14% less than in The Hague. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.