Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vienna and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Vienna: $2,307 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in Vienna
Learn more

Vienna Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,307

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,307 in Vienna versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Vienna $2,307
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,489 in Vienna versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Vienna $3,489
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,671 in Vienna versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Vienna $4,671
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Vienna costs roughly 6% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vienna 70% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 €17.39

$17.59 €15.80

10.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 €79.6

$67.5 €60.6

31.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €12.11

$13.53 €12.15

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$5.32 €4.78

$3.19 €2.87

66.77%

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

$3.73 €3.35

$2.91 €2.62

28.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.84

$1.89 €1.70

67.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 €5.41

$4.01 €3.60

50.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.05

$4.53 €4.07

24.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.31 €1.17

24.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.02 €1.81

7.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.85 €1.66

39.46%

Eggs

$4.57 €4.10

$4.83 €4.34

-5.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 €12.30

$16.74 €15.04

-18.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 €12.72

$9.12 €8.19

55.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.63 €20.34

$19.64 €17.64

15.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.67

$2.98 €2.68

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.99

$2.02 €1.81

9.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 €3.22

$2.70 €2.43

32.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 €3.79

$2.80 €2.52

50.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.09 €1.87

-4.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.07 €1.86

-9.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.46 €1.31

28.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.81

$0.94 €0.84

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.43 €6.68

$6.87 €6.17

8.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 €7.58

$7.89 €7.09

6.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.38

$1.41 €1.26

8.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.54 €2.28

-27.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 €3.14

$3.14 €2.82

11.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 €51.1

$25.45 €22.86

123.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 €4.91

$2.99 €2.69

82.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.49 €1.34

44.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.49 €40.87

$33.37 €29.99

36.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.80 €1.62

9.44%

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

$30.1K €27.1K

$33.2K €29.8K

-9.22%

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

$32.1K €28.9K

$31.7K €28.5K

1.42%

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

$321 €289

$180 €162

78.13%

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

$14.48 €13.01

$13.84 €12.43

4.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.90 €28.66

$33.70 €30.28

-5.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.15 €33.38

$51.5 €46.28

-27.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.06 €25.21

$15.96 €14.34

75.81%

Cinema Ticket

$13.84 €12.43

$10.99 €9.88

25.93%

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

$397 €356

$917 €824

-56.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K €25.4K

$16.5K €14.8K

71.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 €79.3

$87.0 €78.2

1.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 €34.81

$38.51 €34.60

0.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 €83.6

$106 €95.1

-12.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €119

$120 €108

10.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,221

$1,699 €1,527

-20.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 €840

$1,355 €1,218

-31.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,552 €2,293

$2,603 €2,339

-1.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 €1,463

$2,062 €1,853

-21.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K €12.4K

$6,915 €6,213

99.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,925 €5,324

$5,128 €4,607

15.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,478 €3,125

$2,211 €1,986

57.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

3.28

3.96%

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

Last update for Vienna: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vienna

$935 40.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 45% $420

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vienna

$368 15.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 38% $140

Groceries & Markets

Vienna

$366 15.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 12.1% $44

Eating Out

Vienna

$328 14.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 18.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Vienna

$159 6.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 0.3% $0.5

Getting Around

Vienna

$87 3.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 44.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Vienna

$65 2.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 13.4% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,359 in Vienna and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vienna pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89 in Vienna vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Vienna

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

Same time as Vienna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,920,949 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vienna Barcelona 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Vienna
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

Vienna vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vienna and Barcelona differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,307 vs $2,453 including rent). Vienna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Vienna, 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: $1,359 in Vienna versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $397 in Vienna 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 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Vienna gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Vienna 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.