Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Acton, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,187 in Acton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Acton, MA
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Acton, MA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Acton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Acton, MA

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 Acton, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,453 per month in Barcelona vs $3,187 in Acton, MA, rent included.

Barcelona $2,453
Acton, MA $3,187

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Barcelona vs $4,808 in Acton, MA, rent included.

Barcelona $3,509
Acton, MA $4,808

A family of three spends $4,564 per month in Barcelona vs $6,428 in Acton, MA, rent included.

Barcelona $4,564
Acton, MA $6,428

Barcelona is about 23% cheaper than Acton, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Barcelona and Acton, MA sit above the global median – Barcelona by 80%, Acton, MA by 134%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$17.95 $17.95

-2.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$94.8 $94.8

-28.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.37 $13.37

1.20%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.45 $5.45

-41.47%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.93 $2.93

-0.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.70 $2.70

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.14 $5.14

-21.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$8.22 $8.22

-44.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.93 $0.93

40.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.39 $2.39

-15.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$5.25 $5.25

-64.76%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.72 $4.72

2.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$11.20 $11.20

49.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$14.29 $14.29

-36.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$17.96 $17.96

9.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.42 $4.42

-32.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.71 $1.71

18.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.82 $2.82

-4.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.03 $4.03

-30.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.93 $1.93

8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.71 $2.71

-23.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.84 $1.84

-20.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$13.83 $13.83

-50.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$9.13 $9.13

-13.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.10 $2.10

-32.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.09 $4.09

-37.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.94 $0.94

91.49%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.7K $27.7K

19.89%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.8K $26.8K

18.32%

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

$180 €162

$322 $322

-43.88%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$61.4 $61.4

-77.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$72.1 $72.1

-53.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$25.46 $25.46

102.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$13.16 $13.16

-16.49%

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

$917 €821

$1,818 $1,818

-49.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$30.5K $30.5K

-45.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$56.6 $56.6

53.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$38.86 $38.86

-0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$80.0 $80.0

32.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$100 $100

19.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$2,730 $2,730

-37.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,891 $1,891

-28.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$2,932 $2,932

-11.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$3,604 $3,604

-42.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$8,971 $8,971

-75.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.64

-50.60%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Acton, MA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Acton, MA

$1.9K 59.3% 39.5% $536

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Acton, MA

$351 * 11% 9.2% $30

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Acton, MA

$314 9.8% 17.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Acton, MA

$455 14.3% 99.6% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Acton, MA

$124 3.9% 21.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Acton, MA

$52 1.6% 29.6% $22

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Acton, MA

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,699 in Barcelona versus $2,730 in Acton, MA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Acton, MA are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Barcelona versus $95 in Acton, MA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $351 – making Barcelona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Acton, MA

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

20:02 8:02 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

7,596

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Acton, MA 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Acton, MA

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 Acton, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acton, MA costs about 30% more than Barcelona, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Barcelona and $4,780 in Acton, MA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barcelona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,699 there versus $2,730 in Acton, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,187 in Acton, MA. That makes Barcelona about 23% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $917 per month in Barcelona and $1,818 in Acton, MA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Barcelona, where all-in costs run around $2,453, than in Acton, MA at $3,187. In Barcelona it covers expenses comfortably, while in Acton, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Barcelona. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Acton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.