Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Brea, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $3,716 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
180

Cost of Living Index in Brea, CA
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Brea, CA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Brea, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $3,716 in Brea, CA.

Barcelona $2,381
Brea, CA $3,716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $5,124 in Brea, CA.

Barcelona $3,406
Brea, CA $5,124

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $6,532 in Brea, CA.

Barcelona $4,431
Brea, CA $6,532

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 36% less than in Brea, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Brea, CA 174% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$25.18 $25.18

-28.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$78.5 $78.5

-15.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$12.18 $12.18

12.40%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.59 $5.59

-45.26%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.69 $2.69

14.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.98 $1.98

-2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$7.34 $7.34

-47.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$9.46 $9.46

-51.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.18 $1.18

10.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$5.29 $5.29

-60.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.41 $4.41

-58.50%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.86 $4.86

-4.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$15.38 $15.38

12.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.87 $8.87

4.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$13.91 $13.91

42.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.66 $4.66

-35.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.80 $1.80

12.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.30 $4.30

-38.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$5.77 $5.77

-50.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.61 $3.61

-40.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.07 $3.07

-29.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.14 $2.14

-31.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.18 $2.18

-59.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$11.95 $11.95

-42.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$15.14 $15.14

-48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.77 $1.77

-21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.21 $3.21

-18.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.58 $4.58

-34.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.81 $1.81

-20.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$36.28 $36.28

-8.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.57 $1.57

18.47%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$27.8K $27.8K

16.40%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.0K $26.0K

21.84%

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

$183 €163

$218 $218

-16.10%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$70.8 $70.8

-80.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$69.1 $69.1

-52.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$30.08 $30.08

81.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$20.02 $20.02

-17.48%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$19.98 $19.98

-43.79%

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

$954 €849

$1,162 $1,162

-17.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$42.8K $42.8K

-61.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$62.2 $62.2

38.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$41.12 $41.12

-4.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$80.9 $80.9

28.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$104 $104

13.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$2,241 $2,241

-24.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$2,354 $2,354

-45.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$3,133 $3,133

-17.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$3,521 $3,521

-45.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$5,884 $5,884

23.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$6,172 $6,172

-18.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$9,939 $9,939

-77.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.31

-48.02%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Brea, CA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.4% 84.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Brea, CA

$411 11.1% 26.6% $86

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Brea, CA

$379 10.2% 40.8% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Brea, CA

$358 9.6% 56% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Brea, CA

$130 3.5% 17% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Brea, CA

$70 1.9% 9.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4% 71.2% $34

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 $1,695 in Barcelona and $2,241 in Brea, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays 346% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $79.0 in Brea, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $411 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

9 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

38,585

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Brea, CA 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Brea, CA

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 Brea, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Brea, CA differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $3,716 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 346% lower in Brea, CA. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $2,241 in Brea, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,162 in Brea, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $79.0 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Brea, CA 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 56% less than in Brea, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.