Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Apia

For one person, living is cheaper in Apia: $853 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Apia

🇼🇸 Samoa

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Apia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $853 in Apia.

Barcelona $2,453
Apia $853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,282 in Apia.

Barcelona $3,509
Apia $2,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,711 in Apia.

Barcelona $4,564
Apia $3,711

Living in Barcelona is roughly 188% more expensive than in Apia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Apia is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$47.10 WST 130

-62.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$36.32 WST 100

85.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$14.46 WST 39.98

-6.43%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$2.87 WST 7.92

11.15%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.77 WST 4.89

64.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.33 WST 3.67

42.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.43 WST 9.49

16.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$3.60 WST 9.95

25.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.84 WST 5.08

-28.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.83 WST 2.31

143.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.80 WST 4.99

2.78%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$4.39 WST 12.15

10.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$0.94 WST 2.60

1680.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$3.65 WST 10.11

149.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$8.34 WST 23.06

135.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$4.99 WST 13.79

-40.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.85 WST 5.13

9.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.84 WST 5.10

46.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.48 WST 12.38

-37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.54 WST 9.79

-40.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.10 WST 3.04

88.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.21 WST 3.35

-22.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$6.36 WST 17.58

8.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$16.29 WST 45.04

-51.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.84 WST 5.08

-23.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.68 WST 10.18

-30.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$3.70 WST 10.24

-15.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$5.50 WST 15.20

-45.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$5.55 WST 15.36

-73.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$21.64 WST 59.8

54.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.08 WST 2.98

66.67%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

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

$31.7K €28.5K

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

$180 €162

$18.50 WST 51.2

875.19%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$18.38 WST 50.8

-24.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$36.62 WST 101

-7.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

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

$917 €823

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$1,738 WST 4,805

18.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Apia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Apia

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Apia

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Apia

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Apia

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Apia

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Apia

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Apia

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $36 in Apia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $240 per month, with Apia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇼🇸 Apia

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

09:27 9:27 AM

12 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

36,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Samoan Tala WST T

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 WST = 0.362 USD

1 WST = 0.325 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Apia 16,900 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Apia

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 Apia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apia wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Apia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,679 in Barcelona and $1,279 in Apia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you’ll spend $2,453 per month in Barcelona versus $853 in Apia – Apia is about 65% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Apia 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, Barcelona and Apia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.