Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Drammen Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Drammen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $2,214 in Drammen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $3,324 in Drammen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $4,434 in Drammen.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 7% more expensive than Drammen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Drammen 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$20.64 NOK 192

-14.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$75.3 NOK 701

-9.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$13.06 NOK 122

7.66%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$4.99 NOK 46.43

-44.29%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$2.42 NOK 22.52

15.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$2.64 NOK 24.60

-21.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$7.82 NOK 72.8

-42.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$6.19 NOK 57.6

-25.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$2.20 NOK 20.51

-43.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$3.13 NOK 29.17

-35.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$3.15 NOK 29.34

-39.05%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$4.19 NOK 38.98

-21.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$11.60 NOK 108

58.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$13.42 NOK 125

-29.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$17.23 NOK 160

11.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$2.05 NOK 19.08

28.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$2.32 NOK 21.62

5.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$3.42 NOK 31.83

-38.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$3.95 NOK 36.79

-27.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$2.27 NOK 21.14

-10.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.34 NOK 12.48

38.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.85 NOK 17.18

-20.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.93 NOK 17.93

-56.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$14.45 NOK 135

-50.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$13.02 NOK 121

-39.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$3.07 NOK 28.58

-55.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$3.91 NOK 36.39

-40.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$2.81 NOK 26.17

6.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$75.5 NOK 703

-61.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$10.01 NOK 93.2

-54.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.26 NOK 11.77

64.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$103 NOK 959

-71.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$2.17 NOK 20.21

-15.21%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$39.9K NOK 371.5K

-2.24%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$38.9K NOK 362.0K

-15.91%

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

$188 €162

$217 NOK 2,021

-13.47%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$44.32 NOK 413

-48.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$38.34 NOK 357

-4.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$86.1 NOK 801

-33.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$35.80 NOK 333

-42.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$14.77 NOK 138

-24.24%

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

$721 €621

$310 NOK 2,887

132.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$10.2K NOK 95.4K

46.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$97.8 NOK 910

-11.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$25.22 NOK 235

46.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$97.7 NOK 909

4.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$142 NOK 1,326

-18.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$932 NOK 8,676

64.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$777 NOK 7,229

57.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$1,491 NOK 13.9K

80.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$1,343 NOK 12.5K

49.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$10.8K NOK 100.7K

-33.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

$6,561 NOK 61.1K

-20.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$3,747 NOK 34.9K

-37.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

4.38

-22.60%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Drammen: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $932 in Drammen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drammen pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $75.0 in Drammen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $383 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

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 Drammen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Drammen differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $2,214 including rent). Drammen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Drammen earns 59% less. 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $932 in Drammen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $310 in Drammen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,214 in Drammen versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Drammen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Drammen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Drammen 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 Drammen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.