Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Appleton, WI and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Appleton, WI: $2,114 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Appleton, WI
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Appleton, WI Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Appleton, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,114

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,114 per month in Appleton, WI vs $2,399 in Barcelona, rent included.

Appleton, WI $2,114
Barcelona $2,399

A couple spends around $3,257 per month in Appleton, WI vs $3,410 in Barcelona, rent included.

Appleton, WI $3,257
Barcelona $3,410

A family of three spends $4,400 per month in Appleton, WI vs $4,421 in Barcelona, rent included.

Appleton, WI $4,400
Barcelona $4,421

Appleton, WI is about 12% cheaper than Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Appleton, WI and Barcelona sit above the global median – Appleton, WI by 57%, Barcelona by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 $18.17

$17.94 €15.96

1.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.1 $65.1

$68.1 €60.5

-4.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 $11.10

$13.28 €11.81

-16.42%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$3.25 €2.89

65.23%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$3.01 €2.67

-13.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.87 €1.66

23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.85 €3.42

19.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.48 €3.98

35.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.29 €1.15

-20.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.04 €1.81

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$1.72 €1.53

198.26%

Eggs

$4.53 $4.53

$4.77 €4.24

-5.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 $14.18

$16.77 €14.92

-15.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 $8.35

$8.93 €7.94

-6.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 $15.52

$19.88 €17.68

-21.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.98 €2.65

62.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.03 €1.80

-34.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.73 €2.43

15.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.68 €2.38

63.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.10 €1.87

1.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.08 €1.85

26.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.45 €1.29

52.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.89 €0.79

252.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.94 $10.94

$6.94 €6.17

57.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$7.78 €6.92

91.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.45 €1.29

21.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.57 €2.29

29.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.12 €2.77

3.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.44 €1.28

-3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.33 $24.33

$33.50 €29.80

-27.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.79 €1.59

-45.25%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

2.35%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$30.1K €26.7K

-15.42%

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

$174 $174

$178 €158

-2.05%

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

$44.20 $44.20

$13.32 €11.85

231.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$34.88 €31.03

76.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.46 $23.46

$53.3 €47.37

-55.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.62 $39.62

$16.01 €14.24

147.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$11.06 €9.84

31.56%

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

$1,508 $1,508

$957 €851

57.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.4K $31.4K

$16.6K €14.7K

89.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.23 $39.23

$88.2 €78.4

-55.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.89 $24.89

$39.49 €35.12

-36.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.0 $50.0

$103 €91.5

-51.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$121 €108

-8.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 $1,524

$1,653 €1,470

-7.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 $992

$1,302 €1,158

-23.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$2,557 €2,275

-29.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,915 €1,703

-0.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,257 $2,257

$7,286 €6,481

-69.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,278 $2,278

$5,080 €4,519

-55.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,999 $3,999

$2,281 €2,029

75.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

3.28

94.21%

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

Last update for Appleton, WI: 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

Appleton, WI

$992 46.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 31.3% $310

Groceries & Markets

Appleton, WI

$380 18%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 15.8% $60

Eating Out

Appleton, WI

$298 14.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 9.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Appleton, WI

$280 13.3%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 19.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Appleton, WI

$101 4.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 56.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Appleton, WI

$53 2.5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 43.4% $23

Getting Around

Appleton, WI

$10 * 0.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 367% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,524 in Appleton, WI 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 75% higher in Appleton, WI, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Appleton, WI versus $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Appleton, WI vs $320 in Barcelona – so Barcelona wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Appleton, WI

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

7 h ahead of Appleton, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,139

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

Appleton, WI Barcelona 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Appleton, WI
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

Appleton, WI vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barcelona is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,170 per month in Appleton, WI 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 Appleton, WI, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Appleton, WI and $68.0 in Barcelona. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Barcelona – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Appleton, WI, where all-in costs run around $2,114, than in Barcelona at $2,399. In Appleton, WI it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barcelona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Appleton, WI – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Appleton, WI. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barcelona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.