Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,869 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. The total is higher in Bergen despite lower rent and utilities.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Bergen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,869 in Bergen.

Barcelona $2,399
Bergen $2,869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $4,330 in Bergen.

Barcelona $3,410
Bergen $4,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $5,790 in Bergen.

Barcelona $4,421
Bergen $5,790

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 16% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Bergen 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$23.37 NOK 220

-23.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$134 NOK 1,263

-49.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$15.56 NOK 147

-14.65%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$5.30 NOK 49.86

-38.68%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$5.07 NOK 47.70

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$4.51 NOK 42.48

-58.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$12.55 NOK 118

-69.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$10.56 NOK 99.4

-57.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.19 NOK 20.66

-41.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.92 NOK 36.88

-47.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.42 NOK 32.20

-49.71%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$6.34 NOK 59.7

-24.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$14.80 NOK 139

13.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$17.41 NOK 164

-48.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$36.51 NOK 344

-45.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$4.12 NOK 38.83

-27.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.68 NOK 25.22

-24.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.48 NOK 32.77

-21.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$5.46 NOK 51.4

-50.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.51 NOK 23.59

-16.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.38 NOK 31.78

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.83 NOK 26.68

-48.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.79 NOK 16.84

-50.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$17.41 NOK 164

-60.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$18.96 NOK 178

-58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.58 NOK 33.66

-59.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$4.22 NOK 39.70

-39.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$5.05 NOK 47.54

-40.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$85.0 NOK 800

-70.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$12.36 NOK 116

-74.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.92 NOK 18.05

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$71.5 NOK 673

-53.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.44 NOK 22.96

-26.64%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$48.7K NOK 458.5K

-28.90%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

-30.11%

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

$178 €158

$281 NOK 2,641

-36.60%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$32.84 NOK 309

-59.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$81.5 NOK 767

-57.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$45.18 NOK 425

17.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$42.91 NOK 404

-62.69%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$18.56 NOK 175

-40.41%

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

$957 €851

$239 NOK 2,251

300.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$11.6K NOK 109.6K

42.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$107 NOK 1,003

-17.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$53.3 NOK 502

-25.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$119 NOK 1,116

-13.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$163 NOK 1,534

-25.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,483 NOK 14.0K

11.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,117 NOK 10.5K

16.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,327 NOK 21.9K

9.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,714 NOK 16.1K

11.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$7,835 NOK 73.8K

-7.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$4,754 NOK 44.8K

6.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$4,567 NOK 43.0K

-50.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.27

-37.76%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Bergen

$1.1K 38.9% 14.2% $185

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Bergen

$530 18.5% 65.7% $210

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Bergen

$419 14.6% 55.3% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Bergen

$395 13.8% 74.7% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Bergen

$199 6.9% 25.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Bergen

$82 2.9% 9.2% $6.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Bergen

$127 4.4% 168% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,483 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 100% 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: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $134 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $530 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

292,482

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Bergen 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Bergen

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 Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Bergen differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,869 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 100% lower in Bergen. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,483 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $239 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Barcelona and Bergen 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 20% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.