Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atlantic City, NJ and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,821 in Atlantic City, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Atlantic City, NJ
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Atlantic City, NJ Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Atlantic City, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,821

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Atlantic City, NJ versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Atlantic City, NJ $2,821
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,228 in Atlantic City, NJ versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Atlantic City, NJ $4,228
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,635 in Atlantic City, NJ versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Atlantic City, NJ $5,635
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Atlantic City, NJ is roughly 18% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Atlantic City, NJ 108% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.73 $19.73

$17.89 €15.92

10.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.1 $98.1

$66.2 €58.9

48.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 $11.30

$13.69 €12.18

-17.46%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$3.06 €2.72

77.45%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$3.07 €2.73

-25.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.94 €1.73

3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.87 €3.44

57.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.78 $8.78

$4.61 €4.10

90.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.30 €1.16

-4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.10 €1.87

60.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$1.83 €1.62

297.27%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$4.62 €4.11

-8.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$17.36 €15.44

-35.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.67 $16.67

$9.28 €8.25

79.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.14 $20.14

$19.83 €17.64

1.56%

Apples (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$3.01 €2.68

150.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.03 €1.81

81.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.65 €2.36

104.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.86 $5.86

$2.87 €2.55

104.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.16 €1.92

84.26%

Onion (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.15 €1.91

120.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.47 €1.31

72.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.88 €0.79

178.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 $14.24

$6.93 €6.16

105.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 $13.27

$7.83 €6.96

69.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.39 €1.24

89.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.63 €2.34

28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.91 €2.59

4.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.3 $88.3

$25.46 €22.64

246.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.00 €2.66

-0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.44 €1.28

46.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.73 $42.73

$33.20 €29.53

28.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.86 €1.65

-48.39%

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

$20.4K $20.4K

$32.3K €28.8K

-37.01%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$31.7K €28.2K

-21.70%

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

$250 $250

$183 €163

36.85%

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

$61.2 $61.2

$13.61 €12.11

349.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 $61.0

$32.93 €29.29

85.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.59 $29.59

$54.7 €48.65

-45.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 $50.1

$16.52 €14.70

203.21%

Cinema Ticket

$16.78 $16.78

$11.23 €9.99

49.42%

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

$503 $503

$954 €849

-47.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,031 $7,031

$16.6K €14.8K

-57.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 $70.5

$86.0 €76.5

-18.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.78 $31.78

$39.11 €34.78

-18.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$104 €92.2

17.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$119 €106

1.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 $1,737

$1,695 €1,508

2.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$1,276 €1,135

2.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,320 $2,320

$2,576 €2,291

-9.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,175 $2,175

$1,922 €1,710

13.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,255 $4,255

$7,281 €6,477

-41.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,212 $4,212

$5,010 €4,456

-15.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,017 $4,017

$2,227 €1,981

80.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

3.28

103.35%

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

Last update for Atlantic City, NJ: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Atlantic City, NJ

$1.3K 46.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 2.4% $31

Groceries & Markets

Atlantic City, NJ

$488 17.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 33.3% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atlantic City, NJ

$372 13.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 38.4% $143

Eating Out

Atlantic City, NJ

$322 11.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 16.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Atlantic City, NJ

$155 5.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 1% $1.6

Getting Around

Atlantic City, NJ

$114 4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 58.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Atlantic City, NJ

$63 2.2%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 22.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,737 in Atlantic City, NJ and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atlantic City, NJ pays 80% 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: $98.0 in Atlantic City, NJ vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Atlantic City, NJ

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

05:40 5:40 AM

6 h ahead of Atlantic City, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,958

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

Atlantic City, NJ Barcelona 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Atlantic City, NJ
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

Atlantic City, NJ vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Atlantic City, NJ and Barcelona differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Atlantic City, NJ, 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: $1,737 in Atlantic City, NJ versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Atlantic City, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $98.0 in Atlantic City, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 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, Atlantic City, NJ 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 18% less than in Atlantic City, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.