Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, MA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,767 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
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Amherst, MA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,767

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,767 in Amherst, MA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Amherst, MA $2,767
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Amherst, MA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Amherst, MA $4,275
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,783 in Amherst, MA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Amherst, MA $5,783
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Amherst, MA is roughly 13% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Amherst, MA 103% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 $20.05

$17.59 €15.76

13.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 $70.8

$67.5 €60.5

4.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 $8.90

$13.53 €12.12

-34.22%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$3.19 €2.86

50.16%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$2.91 €2.61

-7.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.89 €1.70

8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$4.01 €3.59

48.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.41 $10.41

$4.53 €4.06

129.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.31 €1.17

-19.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.02 €1.81

58.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.00 $7.00

$1.85 €1.66

278.38%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$4.83 €4.33

-2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 $16.50

$16.74 €15.00

-1.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$9.12 €8.17

73.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.29 $18.29

$19.64 €17.60

-6.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.98 €2.67

57.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.02 €1.81

-28.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.70 €2.42

20.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.80 €2.51

64.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.09 €1.87

56.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.07 €1.85

79.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.46 €1.31

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.94 €0.84

114.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 $10.69

$6.87 €6.16

55.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 $12.14

$7.89 €7.07

53.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.41 €1.26

40.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.54 €2.27

54.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 $1.29

$3.14 €2.82

-58.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.34 $28.34

$25.45 €22.80

11.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.99 €2.68

19.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.49 €1.34

-4.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.78 $29.78

$33.37 €29.91

-10.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.80 €1.61

-45.00%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

-17.06%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$31.7K €28.4K

-16.83%

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

$213 $213

$180 €162

18.03%

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

$56.5 $56.5

$13.84 €12.40

308.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.9 $87.9

$33.70 €30.20

160.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 $121

$51.5 €46.16

135.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.90 $6.90

$15.96 €14.30

-56.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 $10.65

$10.99 €9.85

-3.09%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$917 €821

59.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K $17.2K

$16.5K €14.8K

4.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.22 $45.22

$87.0 €78.0

-48.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 $40.24

$38.51 €34.51

4.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 $91.6

$106 €94.8

-13.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$120 €107

-8.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 $1,821

$1,699 €1,523

7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 $1,346

$1,355 €1,214

-0.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,829 $3,829

$2,603 €2,332

47.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 $2,708

$2,062 €1,848

31.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,969 $3,969

$6,915 €6,196

-42.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,035 $4,035

$5,128 €4,595

-21.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,660 $4,660

$2,211 €1,981

110.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

3.28

85.98%

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

Last update for Amherst, MA: 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

Amherst, MA

$1.3K 48.7%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 0.7% $9

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, MA

$434 15.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 25.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, MA

$357 12.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 36.2% $129

Eating Out

Amherst, MA

$314 11.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 14.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, MA

$143 5.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 48.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, MA

$129 4.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 22.5% $29

Getting Around

Amherst, MA

$44 1.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 9.8% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,821 in Amherst, MA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Amherst, MA vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $434 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

6 h ahead of Amherst, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Amherst, MA Barcelona 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, 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

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

Barcelona is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Amherst, MA is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $1,821 in Amherst, MA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,466 in Amherst, MA versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Amherst, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Amherst, MA and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Amherst, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.