Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Burlington, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
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Burlington, NC Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Burlington, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,604 in Burlington, NC.

Barcelona $2,381
Burlington, NC $2,604

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,784 in Burlington, NC.

Barcelona $3,406
Burlington, NC $3,784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,963 in Burlington, NC.

Barcelona $4,431
Burlington, NC $4,963

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 9% less than in Burlington, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Burlington, NC 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$18.93 $18.93

-5.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$74.7 $74.7

-11.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.89 $10.89

25.71%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.23 $5.23

-41.49%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.51 $2.51

22.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.06 $2.06

-5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.14 $6.14

-36.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.80 $6.80

-32.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.04 $1.04

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.57 $3.57

-41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.35 $4.35

-57.93%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.22 $4.22

9.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$12.47 $12.47

39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$11.29 $11.29

-17.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$15.63 $15.63

26.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$5.02 $5.02

-40.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.56 $1.56

30.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.20 $4.20

-36.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.81 $4.81

-40.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.91 $2.91

-25.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.76 $2.76

-22.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.11 $2.11

-30.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.08 $2.08

-57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$9.37 $9.37

-26.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$14.08 $14.08

-44.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.85 $1.85

-24.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.33 $3.33

-21.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.02 $2.02

44.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.40 $3.40

-11.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.65 $1.65

-12.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$28.99 $28.99

14.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.89 $0.89

108.99%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$29.9K $29.9K

8.27%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

24.56%

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

$183 €163

$191 $191

-4.12%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$52.9 $52.9

-74.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$67.0 $67.0

-50.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$42.35 $42.35

29.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$13.34 $13.34

-15.82%

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

$954 €849

$1,282 $1,282

-25.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$23.7K $23.7K

-30.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$51.0 $51.0

68.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$39.90 $39.90

-1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$85.3 $85.3

21.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$112 $112

5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,632 $1,632

3.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,378 $1,378

-7.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,653 $2,653

-2.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$2,241 $2,241

-14.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,740 $2,740

165.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,417 $2,417

107.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.51

-49.62%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Burlington, NC: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9% 8% $102

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9% 19.4% $63

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9% 14.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9% 35.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Burlington, NC

$130 5% 17% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7% 10.5% $8.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8% 58.2% $28

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 $1,632 in Burlington, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $75.0 in Burlington, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $388 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

03:37 3:37 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

44,743

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Burlington, NC 6,830 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Burlington, NC

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 Burlington, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Burlington, NC differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,604 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $3,907 in Burlington, NC 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,632 in Burlington, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,282 in Burlington, NC. 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 $75.0 in Burlington, NC. 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 Burlington, NC 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 9% less than in Burlington, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.