Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zell am see and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Zell am see: $2,322 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
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Zell am see Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,322

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,322 in Zell am see versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Zell am see $2,322
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,372 in Zell am see versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Zell am see $3,372
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,423 in Zell am see versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Zell am see $4,423
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Zell am see costs roughly 5% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zell am see 71% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.86

$17.59 €15.71

-5.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 €73.6

$67.5 €60.3

22.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 €8.69

$13.53 €12.08

-28.09%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.88

$3.19 €2.85

36.36%

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

$3.56 €3.18

$2.91 €2.60

22.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.63

$1.89 €1.69

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.94

$4.01 €3.58

37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.61

$4.53 €4.05

13.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.31 €1.17

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.02 €1.80

20.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.85 €1.65

31.89%

Eggs

$4.59 €4.10

$4.83 €4.32

-4.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.05 €19.70

$16.74 €14.95

31.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.76

$9.12 €8.14

44.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 €19.00

$19.64 €17.54

8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.56

$2.98 €2.66

-4.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.02 €1.80

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.70 €2.41

22.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 €3.58

$2.80 €2.50

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.09 €1.86

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 €2.73

$2.07 €1.85

47.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.46 €1.30

54.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.10

$0.94 €0.84

31.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.83 €6.99

$6.87 €6.14

13.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 €8.04

$7.89 €7.04

14.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.41 €1.26

-4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.54 €2.26

-13.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 €2.23

$3.14 €2.81

-20.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.6 €55.9

$25.45 €22.73

146.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 €2.55

$2.99 €2.67

-4.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.49 €1.33

-42.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.43 €28.07

$33.37 €29.81

-5.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.80 €1.61

0.56%

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

$29.7K €26.5K

$33.2K €29.6K

-10.50%

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

$30.0K €26.8K

$31.7K €28.3K

-5.25%

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

$333 €297

$180 €161

84.56%

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

$16.10 €14.38

$13.84 €12.36

16.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.60 €34.48

$33.70 €30.10

14.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.85 €36.49

$51.5 €46.01

-20.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 €20.50

$15.96 €14.26

43.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 €13.73

$10.99 €9.82

39.95%

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

$452 €404

$917 €819

-50.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$16.5K €14.7K

-3.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 €75.7

$87.0 €77.7

-2.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.7 €52.5

$38.51 €34.39

52.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.3

$106 €94.5

4.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €112

$120 €107

4.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €943

$1,699 €1,518

-37.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 €840

$1,355 €1,211

-30.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 €1,643

$2,603 €2,325

-29.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 €1,257

$2,062 €1,842

-31.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,981 €6,235

$6,915 €6,176

0.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,536 €5,838

$5,128 €4,580

27.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,975

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 Zell am see: 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

Zell am see

$940 40.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 44.2% $415

Groceries & Markets

Zell am see

$394 17%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 18.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zell am see

$388 16.7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 41.2% $160

Eating Out

Zell am see

$278 12%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 3.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Zell am see

$170 7.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 7.3% $12

Getting Around

Zell am see

$80 3.4%

Barcelona

$48 2% 39.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Zell am see

$72 3.1%

Barcelona

$74 3% 2.6% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Zell am see and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82 in Zell am see vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

Same time as Zell am see

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,131

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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Between locations

Zell am see Barcelona 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zell am see
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

Zell am see vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,322 in Zell am see and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Zell am see is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,483 in Zell am see and $3,679 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,056 in Zell am see versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $452 in Zell am see 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 18% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Zell am see 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, Zell am see and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.