Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vasteras and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Vasteras: $1,818 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Vasteras
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Vasteras Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Vasteras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,818

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,818 in Vasteras versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Vasteras $1,818
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,764 in Vasteras versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Vasteras $2,764
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,710 in Vasteras versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Vasteras $3,710
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Vasteras costs roughly 24% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vasteras 35% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.70 SEK 136

$17.94 €15.96

-23.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 SEK 640

$68.1 €60.5

-5.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 SEK 98.2

$13.28 €11.81

-25.38%

Cappuccino

$4.23 SEK 41.92

$3.25 €2.89

30.15%

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

$2.25 SEK 22.27

$3.01 €2.67

-25.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SEK 21.97

$1.87 €1.66

18.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 SEK 70.8

$3.85 €3.42

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 70.2

$4.48 €3.98

58.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 SEK 13.87

$1.29 €1.15

8.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 SEK 29.70

$2.04 €1.81

47.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 SEK 35.37

$1.72 €1.53

107.56%

Eggs

$3.89 SEK 38.55

$4.77 €4.24

-18.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 SEK 120

$16.77 €14.92

-27.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 126

$8.93 €7.94

42.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.30 SEK 221

$19.88 €17.68

12.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 SEK 31.59

$2.98 €2.65

7.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.05

$2.03 €1.80

24.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 SEK 36.37

$2.73 €2.43

34.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 SEK 43.46

$2.68 €2.38

63.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.55

$2.10 €1.87

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$2.08 €1.85

-18.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 SEK 21.62

$1.45 €1.29

50.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 SEK 14.73

$0.89 €0.79

67.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.08 SEK 70.2

$6.94 €6.17

2.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 SEK 132

$7.78 €6.92

70.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 SEK 13.10

$1.45 €1.29

-8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 SEK 21.54

$2.57 €2.29

-15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 SEK 32.88

$2.99 €2.66

11.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 SEK 700

$25.20 €22.41

180.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 SEK 34.78

$3.12 €2.77

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 SEK 24.78

$1.44 €1.28

73.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.0 SEK 802

$33.50 €29.80

141.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.49

$1.79 €1.59

-7.26%

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

$33.2K SEK 328.6K

$34.6K €30.8K

-4.23%

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

$32.0K SEK 317.5K

$30.1K €26.7K

6.55%

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

$183 SEK 1,817

$178 €158

3.12%

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

$22.17 SEK 220

$13.32 €11.85

66.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.15 SEK 428

$34.88 €31.03

23.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 SEK 338

$53.3 €47.37

-35.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 SEK 195

$16.01 €14.24

22.74%

Cinema Ticket

$16.74 SEK 166

$11.06 €9.84

51.36%

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

$151 SEK 1,499

$957 €851

-84.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,881 SEK 48.4K

$16.6K €14.7K

-70.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 SEK 1,002

$88.2 €78.4

14.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 SEK 399

$39.49 €35.12

1.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 SEK 859

$103 €91.5

-15.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,323

$121 €108

9.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 SEK 7,429

$1,653 €1,470

-54.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 SEK 5,957

$1,302 €1,158

-53.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 SEK 13.5K

$2,557 €2,275

-46.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$997 SEK 9,880

$1,915 €1,703

-47.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,564 SEK 35.3K

$7,286 €6,481

-51.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,404 SEK 23.8K

$5,080 €4,519

-52.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,996 SEK 29.7K

$2,281 €2,029

31.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.28

7.62%

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

Last update for Vasteras: 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

Vasteras

$601 33.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 117% $701

Groceries & Markets

Vasteras

$380 20.9%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 15.8% $60

Eating Out

Vasteras

$258 14.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 4.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vasteras

$249 13.7%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 9.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Vasteras

$163 9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 2.7% $4.4

Getting Around

Vasteras

$100 5.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 52.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Vasteras

$68 3.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 11.5% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Vasteras and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vasteras pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65.0 in Vasteras vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $380 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Vasteras

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

Same time as Vasteras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,877

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 19, 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 19, 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

Vasteras Barcelona 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Vasteras
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

Vasteras vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vasteras and Barcelona differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,818 vs $2,399 including rent). Vasteras is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Vasteras, 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: $750 in Vasteras versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $151 in Vasteras 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 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,818 in Vasteras versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vasteras but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Vasteras 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, Vasteras 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 Vasteras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.