Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wels and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Wels: $1,885 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,885

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,885 in Wels versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Wels $1,885
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,801 in Wels versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Wels $2,801
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,717 in Wels versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Wels $3,717
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Wels costs roughly 21% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wels 40% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.47 €14.65

$17.94 €15.96

-8.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.1

$68.1 €60.5

22.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$13.28 €11.81

-14.76%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.79

$3.25 €2.89

31.38%

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

$3.38 €3.01

$3.01 €2.67

12.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.87 €1.66

59.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.84

$3.85 €3.42

41.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$4.48 €3.98

20.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.29 €1.15

17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.04 €1.81

18.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.72 €1.53

0.58%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.42

$4.77 €4.24

-19.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.73 €19.33

$16.77 €14.92

29.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 €11.43

$8.93 €7.94

43.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.77 €19.36

$19.88 €17.68

9.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.03 €1.80

-12.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.73 €2.43

-0.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.68 €2.38

4.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.10 €1.87

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.08 €1.85

-21.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.45 €1.29

55.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.89 €0.79

-15.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.51 €6.68

$6.94 €6.17

8.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.94 €7.95

$7.78 €6.92

14.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.45 €1.29

-44.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.57 €2.29

-14.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.99 €2.66

-9.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.48 €34.23

$25.20 €22.41

52.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.01

$3.12 €2.77

80.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.44 €1.28

62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.71 €27.32

$33.50 €29.80

-8.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$34.6K €30.8K

-11.30%

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

$30.2K €26.9K

$30.1K €26.7K

0.46%

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

$333 €296

$178 €158

87.29%

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

$13.71 €12.19

$13.32 €11.85

2.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.38 €33.25

$34.88 €31.03

7.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.43 €40.41

$53.3 €47.37

-14.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.27 €29.59

$16.01 €14.24

107.81%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 €12.13

$11.06 €9.84

23.33%

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

$1,336 €1,189

$957 €851

39.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$16.6K €14.7K

-4.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 €73.4

$88.2 €78.4

-6.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 €52.7

$39.49 €35.12

49.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.9

$103 €91.5

8.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$121 €108

1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 €601

$1,653 €1,470

-59.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 €489

$1,302 €1,158

-57.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 €832

$2,557 €2,275

-63.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €704

$1,915 €1,703

-58.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$7,286 €6,481

-42.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,425 €3,047

$5,080 €4,519

-32.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,072 €2,733

$2,281 €2,029

34.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.28

6.71%

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

Last update for Wels: 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

Wels

$550 29.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 137% $752

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wels

$384 20.4%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 41.2% $158

Groceries & Markets

Wels

$362 19.2%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 11.5% $42

Eating Out

Wels

$280 14.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 3.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Wels

$169 9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 6.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Wels

$73 3.9%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 3.7% $2.7

Getting Around

Wels

$67 3.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 28.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $676 in Wels and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wels pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Wels vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Wels

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

Same time as Wels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,853

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Wels Barcelona 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Wels
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

Wels vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wels and Barcelona differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,885 vs $2,399 including rent). Wels is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Wels, 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: $676 in Wels versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,336 in Wels 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 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,885 in Wels versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Wels but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Wels 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, Wels 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 Wels gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.