Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anchorage, AK and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,290 in Anchorage, AK, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

159

Cost of Living Index in Anchorage, AK
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Anchorage, AK Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Anchorage, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,290

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,290 in Anchorage, AK versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Anchorage, AK $3,290
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,848 in Anchorage, AK versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Anchorage, AK $4,848
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,406 in Anchorage, AK versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Anchorage, AK $6,406
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Anchorage, AK is roughly 37% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Anchorage, AK 144% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.72 $24.72

$17.94 €15.96

37.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$68.1 €60.5

46.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.28 €11.81

13.55%

Cappuccino

$6.74 $6.74

$3.25 €2.89

107.38%

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

$3.24 $3.24

$3.01 €2.67

7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.87 €1.66

34.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.17 $8.17

$3.85 €3.42

112.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$4.48 €3.98

121.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.29 €1.15

-7.75%

White Bread (500g)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.04 €1.81

135.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$1.72 €1.53

252.33%

Eggs

$4.25 $4.25

$4.77 €4.24

-10.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$16.77 €14.92

-18.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 $12.79

$8.93 €7.94

43.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.40 $21.40

$19.88 €17.68

7.65%

Apples (1kg)

$8.16 $8.16

$2.98 €2.65

173.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.03 €1.80

11.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.73 €2.43

105.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 $6.11

$2.68 €2.38

127.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.10 €1.87

41.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.08 €1.85

51.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.45 €1.29

90.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.89 €0.79

162.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.67 $12.67

$6.94 €6.17

82.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.76 $17.76

$7.78 €6.92

128.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.45 €1.29

17.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.57 €2.29

36.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.99 €2.66

-31.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.2 $60.2

$25.20 €22.41

138.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.12 €2.77

-13.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.44 €1.28

30.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.68 $41.68

$33.50 €29.80

24.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.79 €1.59

-30.17%

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

$33.3K $33.3K

$34.6K €30.8K

-3.74%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$30.1K €26.7K

-13.49%

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

$413 $413

$178 €158

132.47%

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

$90.3 $90.3

$13.32 €11.85

577.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$139 $139

$34.88 €31.03

299.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.5 $91.5

$53.3 €47.37

71.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.74 $40.74

$16.01 €14.24

154.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.89 $14.89

$11.06 €9.84

34.63%

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

$1,238 $1,238

$957 €851

29.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K $10.5K

$16.6K €14.7K

-36.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.09 $48.09

$88.2 €78.4

-45.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 $45.27

$39.49 €35.12

14.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$103 €91.5

10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$121 €108

-1.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 $1,778

$1,653 €1,470

7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 $1,408

$1,302 €1,158

8.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,834 $2,834

$2,557 €2,275

10.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 $2,467

$1,915 €1,703

28.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,985 $3,985

$7,286 €6,481

-45.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,794 $2,794

$5,080 €4,519

-45.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,734 $4,734

$2,281 €2,029

107.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

3.28

97.87%

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

Last update for Anchorage, AK: 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

Anchorage, AK

$1.4K 42.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 7.5% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anchorage, AK

$643 19.6%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 64.8% $417

Groceries & Markets

Anchorage, AK

$483 14.7%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 33.8% $163

Eating Out

Anchorage, AK

$408 12.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 33.7% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Anchorage, AK

$147 4.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 7.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Anchorage, AK

$121 3.7%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 37.8% $46

Getting Around

Anchorage, AK

$81 2.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 41% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,778 in Anchorage, AK and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Anchorage, AK pays 108% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $99.0 in Anchorage, AK vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Anchorage, AK

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

17:15 5:15 PM

10 h ahead of Anchorage, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

289,600

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

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Between locations

Anchorage, AK Barcelona 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Anchorage, AK
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

Anchorage, AK vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Anchorage, AK. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 108% higher in Anchorage, AK, 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: $1,778 in Anchorage, AK versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $99.0 in Anchorage, AK. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,290 per month in Anchorage, AK versus $2,399 in Barcelona – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Barcelona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,399 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Barcelona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Anchorage, AK 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Anchorage, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.