Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varberg and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Varberg: $1,635 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
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Varberg Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,635

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in Varberg versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Varberg $1,635
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,623 in Varberg versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Varberg $2,623
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,610 in Varberg versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Varberg $3,610
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Varberg costs roughly 33% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Varberg 20% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.35 SEK 152

$17.59 €15.80

-12.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 SEK 758

$67.5 €60.6

13.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 SEK 101

$13.53 €12.15

-24.61%

Cappuccino

$3.83 SEK 38.04

$3.19 €2.87

20.06%

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

$1.19 SEK 11.82

$2.91 €2.62

-59.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 SEK 10.13

$1.89 €1.70

-46.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 SEK 61.4

$4.01 €3.60

54.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.42 SEK 73.7

$4.53 €4.07

63.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.17

$1.31 €1.17

9.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 SEK 29.43

$2.02 €1.81

46.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.16

$1.85 €1.66

85.95%

Eggs

$4.13 SEK 41.00

$4.83 €4.34

-14.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 SEK 127

$16.74 €15.03

-23.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 SEK 108

$9.12 €8.19

19.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.85 SEK 197

$19.64 €17.64

1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.50

$2.98 €2.68

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.10

$2.02 €1.81

25.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 29.25

$2.70 €2.43

9.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 SEK 41.80

$2.80 €2.52

50.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.59

$2.09 €1.87

-29.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 SEK 14.75

$2.07 €1.86

-28.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SEK 25.15

$1.46 €1.31

73.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 SEK 9.65

$0.94 €0.84

3.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 SEK 67.3

$6.87 €6.17

-1.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 SEK 102

$7.89 €7.08

29.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 SEK 20.54

$1.41 €1.26

46.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.71

$2.54 €2.28

-53.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 SEK 29.15

$3.14 €2.82

-6.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.8 SEK 773

$25.45 €22.86

205.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 SEK 49.01

$2.99 €2.69

64.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 23.89

$1.49 €1.34

61.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.63 SEK 493

$33.37 €29.98

48.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 18.01

$1.80 €1.61

0.56%

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

$33.0K SEK 327.6K

$33.2K €29.8K

-0.62%

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

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

$31.7K €28.5K

5.95%

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

$141 SEK 1,400

$180 €162

-21.88%

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

$19.92 SEK 198

$13.84 €12.43

43.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.69 SEK 295

$33.70 €30.27

-11.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.37 SEK 401

$51.5 €46.27

-21.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.39 SEK 401

$15.96 €14.34

153.07%

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 SEK 157

$10.99 €9.88

44.13%

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

$149 SEK 1,477

$917 €823

-83.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,455 SEK 34.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

-79.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 SEK 704

$87.0 €78.2

-18.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 SEK 400

$38.51 €34.59

4.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 SEK 1,077

$106 €95.1

2.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 SEK 1,479

$120 €108

24.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 SEK 7,926

$1,699 €1,527

-53.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 SEK 4,916

$1,355 €1,217

-63.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 SEK 12.1K

$2,603 €2,338

-53.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 SEK 9,087

$2,062 €1,853

-55.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,532 SEK 64.9K

$6,915 €6,211

-5.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 SEK 35.4K

$5,128 €4,606

-30.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,103 SEK 30.8K

$2,211 €1,986

40.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

3.28

-42.07%

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

Last update for Varberg: 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

Varberg

$495 30.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 174% $860

Groceries & Markets

Varberg

$352 21.5%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 8.5% $30

Eating Out

Varberg

$254 15.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 5.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varberg

$191 11.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 19.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Varberg

$166 10.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 4.7% $7.8

Getting Around

Varberg

$107 6.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 54.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Varberg

$72 4.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $798 in Varberg and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varberg pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76 in Varberg vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varberg

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

Same time as Varberg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,602

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varberg Barcelona 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Varberg
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

Varberg vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varberg and Barcelona differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,635 vs $2,453 including rent). Varberg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Varberg, 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: $798 in Varberg versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $149 in Varberg 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 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,635 in Varberg versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varberg but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Varberg 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, Varberg 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.