Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acton, MA and Barcelona

Name: Barcelona
Address: Barcelona, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,193 in Acton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Acton, MA
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Acton, MA Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Acton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,193

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,193 per month in Acton, MA vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Acton, MA $3,193
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $4,790 per month in Acton, MA vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Acton, MA $4,790
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $6,388 per month in Acton, MA vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Acton, MA $6,388
Barcelona $4,421

Acton, MA costs about 33% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Acton, MA and Barcelona sit above the global median – Acton, MA by 136%, Barcelona by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.14 $18.14

$17.94 €15.96

1.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.9 $95.9

$68.1 €60.5

40.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 $13.47

$13.28 €11.81

1.43%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$3.25 €2.89

67.38%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$3.01 €2.67

-6.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.87 €1.66

44.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.85 €3.42

31.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$4.48 €3.98

74.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.29 €1.15

-26.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.04 €1.81

12.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$1.72 €1.53

206.98%

Eggs

$4.79 $4.79

$4.77 €4.24

0.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$16.77 €14.92

-33.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$8.93 €7.94

63.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 $17.87

$19.88 €17.68

-10.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.98 €2.65

49.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.03 €1.80

-15.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.73 €2.43

4.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.68 €2.38

51.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.10 €1.87

-8.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.08 €1.85

36.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.45 €1.29

33.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.62 $13.62

$6.94 €6.17

96.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 $9.12

$7.78 €6.92

17.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.45 €1.29

50.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.57 €2.29

66.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.79 €1.59

-48.04%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

6.08%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$30.1K €26.7K

-11.58%

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

$316 $316

$178 €158

77.75%

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

$60.8 $60.8

$13.32 €11.85

356.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$34.88 €31.03

110.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.68 $24.68

$53.3 €47.37

-53.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 $12.91

$11.06 €9.84

16.73%

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

$1,857 $1,857

$957 €851

94.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K $29.9K

$16.6K €14.7K

80.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 $57.5

$88.2 €78.4

-34.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.97 $38.97

$39.49 €35.12

-1.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 $80.7

$103 €91.5

-21.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$121 €108

-16.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,698 $2,698

$1,653 €1,470

63.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 $1,898

$1,302 €1,158

45.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,948 $2,948

$2,557 €2,275

15.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,557 $3,557

$1,915 €1,703

85.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,016 $9,016

$2,281 €2,029

295.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.28

102.44%

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

Last update for Acton, MA: 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

Acton, MA

$1.9K 59.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 31.4% $597

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acton, MA

$450 14.1%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 49.8% $224

Groceries & Markets

Acton, MA

$354 * 11.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 9.5% $34

Eating Out

Acton, MA

$314 9.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 13.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Acton, MA

$126 3.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 26.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Acton, MA

$51 1.6%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 49.2% $25

Getting Around

Acton, MA

- * 0%

Barcelona

$47 2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,698 in Acton, MA versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 295% higher in Acton, MA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Acton, MA versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $320 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Acton, MA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

16:04 4:04 PM

6 h ahead of Acton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,596

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Acton, MA Barcelona 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Acton, MA
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

Acton, MA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acton, MA costs about 33% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,789 per month in Acton, MA and $3,599 in Barcelona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barcelona, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,193 in Acton, MA and $2,399 in Barcelona. That's a gap of about 33%.

Kindergarten costs $1,857 per month in Acton, MA and $957 in Barcelona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,193 in Acton, MA and $2,399 in Barcelona. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Barcelona costs $2,399 versus $3,193 in Acton, MA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barcelona. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Acton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.