Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona, Venezuela and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $635 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $51,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Barcelona

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$635

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in New York, NY

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $635 in Barcelona versus $4,906 in New York, NY.

Barcelona $635
New York, NY $4,906

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,067 in Barcelona versus $7,273 in New York, NY.

Barcelona $1,067
New York, NY $7,273

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,499 in Barcelona versus $9,641 in New York, NY.

Barcelona $1,499
New York, NY $9,641

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 87% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 53% below, New York, NY is 263% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.35 VES 8,344

$26.93 $26.93

-65.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.91 VES 24.9K

$117 $117

-76.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 VES 8,167

$14.60 $14.60

-37.33%

Cappuccino

$2.53 VES 2,257

$6.54 $6.54

-61.31%

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

$1.01 VES 902

$3.86 $3.86

-73.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 VES 654

$2.95 $2.95

-75.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 VES 769

$8.08 $8.08

-89.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 VES 1,594

$9.85 $9.85

-81.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 VES 1,801

$1.31 $1.31

54.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 VES 1,216

$7.70 $7.70

-82.34%

Eggs

$5.99 VES 5,343

$6.09 $6.09

-1.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.93 VES 6,183

$19.55 $19.55

-64.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 VES 7,054

$17.59 $17.59

-55.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.02 VES 6,262

$20.26 $20.26

-65.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 VES 1,733

$6.99 $6.99

-72.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 VES 1,362

$2.21 $2.21

-30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 VES 1,081

$6.72 $6.72

-81.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 VES 2,183

$7.12 $7.12

-65.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 VES 919

$4.61 $4.61

-77.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 VES 868

$4.78 $4.78

-79.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 VES 1,310

$2.87 $2.87

-48.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 VES 2,512

$19.14 $19.14

-85.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 VES 9,024

$19.63 $19.63

-48.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 VES 693

$3.32 $3.32

-76.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 VES 1,833

$4.19 $4.19

-51.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 VES 195

$3.02 $3.02

-92.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.35 VES 22.6K

$139 $139

-81.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 VES 8,948

$3.04 $3.04

229.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 VES 992

$2.20 $2.20

-49.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 VES 466

$1.13 $1.13

-53.98%

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

$22.4K VES 20.0M

$34.5K $34.5K

-35.00%

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

$39.4K VES 35.2M

$25.8K $25.8K

52.42%

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

$232 $232

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

$14.78 VES 13.2K

$71.0 $71.0

-79.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 VES 27.0K

$67.7 $67.7

-55.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

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

$57.7 VES 51.5K

$3,606 $3,606

-98.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 VES 63.2K

$79.3 $79.3

-10.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.47 VES 31.7K

$51.4 $51.4

-30.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 VES 90.0K

$121 $121

-16.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 VES 61.9K

$140 $140

-50.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 VES 178.9K

$4,555 $4,555

-95.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.9 VES 63.2K

$3,040 $3,040

-97.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 VES 267.1K

$9,742 $9,742

-96.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 VES 134.1K

$5,331 $5,331

-97.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$411 VES 367.1K

$18.2K $18.2K

-97.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$239 VES 213.0K

$6,685 $6,685

-96.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$260 VES 232.1K

$5,096 $5,096

-94.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.12

6.89

235.56%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 31, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$206 * 32.4%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 176% $361

Eating Out

Barcelona

$147 23.2%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 188% $278

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$124 19.6%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 41.9% $52

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$71 11.2%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 4191% $3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$45 * 7.1%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 724% $326

Getting Around

Barcelona

$42 6.6%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 296% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

- * 0%

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $200 in Barcelona and $4,555 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 20 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $28 in Barcelona vs $117 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $567 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Barcelona

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

18:52 6:52 PM

1 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

560,122

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.12 USD

1,000 VES = 1 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 893 VES (1,000 VES = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 998 VES (1,000 VES = 1 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona New York, NY 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
New York, NY

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

Barcelona vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Barcelona. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $200 in Barcelona versus $4,555 in New York, NY. 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 $28 versus $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $635 per month in Barcelona versus $4,906 in New York, NY – Barcelona is about 87% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $635 in Barcelona versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $800 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.