Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Amherst, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,767 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
Learn more

Amherst, MA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,767 in Amherst, MA.

Barcelona $2,453
Amherst, MA $2,767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,275 in Amherst, MA.

Barcelona $3,509
Amherst, MA $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,783 in Amherst, MA.

Barcelona $4,564
Amherst, MA $5,783

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 11% less than in Amherst, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Amherst, MA 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$20.05 $20.05

-12.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$70.8 $70.8

-4.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.90 $8.90

52.02%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.79 $4.79

-33.40%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.69 $2.69

8.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.06 $2.06

-8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$5.97 $5.97

-32.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$10.41 $10.41

-56.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.06 $1.06

23.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.21 $3.21

-37.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$7.00 $7.00

-73.57%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$4.69 $4.69

2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$16.50 $16.50

1.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$15.78 $15.78

-42.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$18.29 $18.29

7.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$4.70 $4.70

-36.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.45 $1.45

39.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.25 $3.25

-16.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.60 $4.60

-39.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.27 $3.27

-36.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.71 $3.71

-44.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.30 $2.30

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.02 $2.02

-53.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$10.69 $10.69

-35.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$12.14 $12.14

-35.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.98 $1.98

-28.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$3.92 $3.92

-35.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.29 $1.29

143.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$28.34 $28.34

-10.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.56 $3.56

-16.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.42 $1.42

4.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$29.78 $29.78

12.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.99 $0.99

81.82%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.5K $27.5K

20.57%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.4K $26.4K

20.23%

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

$180 €162

$213 $213

-15.28%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$56.5 $56.5

-75.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$87.9 $87.9

-61.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$121 $121

-57.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$6.90 $6.90

131.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$10.65 $10.65

3.19%

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

$917 €821

$1,466 $1,466

-37.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$17.2K $17.2K

-4.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$45.22 $45.22

92.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$40.24 $40.24

-4.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$91.6 $91.6

15.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$110 $110

9.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,821 $1,821

-6.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,346 $1,346

0.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$3,829 $3,829

-32.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$2,708 $2,708

-23.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$3,969 $3,969

74.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$4,035 $4,035

27.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,660 $4,660

-52.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.1

-46.23%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Amherst, MA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Amherst, MA

$1.3K 48.7% 0.7% $9

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Amherst, MA

$434 15.7% 34.7% $112

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Amherst, MA

$314 11.4% 17.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Amherst, MA

$357 12.9% 56.8% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Amherst, MA

$129 4.7% 18.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Amherst, MA

$143 5.2% 94% $69

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Amherst, MA

$44 1.6% 9% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,821 in Amherst, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $71 in Amherst, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $434 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

37,819

💱 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 Amherst, MA 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Amherst, 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 Amherst, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,821 in Amherst, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,466 in Amherst, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Amherst, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Barcelona and Amherst, MA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Amherst, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.