Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Edison, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,122 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
151

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
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Edison, NJ Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Edison, NJ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,122 in Edison, NJ.

Barcelona $2,453
Edison, NJ $3,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,397 in Edison, NJ.

Barcelona $3,509
Edison, NJ $4,397

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,671 in Edison, NJ.

Barcelona $4,564
Edison, NJ $5,671

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 21% less than in Edison, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Edison, NJ 129% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$18.26 $18.26

-3.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$59.8 $59.8

12.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$9.17 $9.17

47.55%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$4.08 $4.08

-21.81%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$1.03 $1.03

182.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.98 $0.98

92.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.44 $3.44

16.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$6.82 $6.82

-33.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.00 $1.00

31.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.22 $3.22

-37.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$6.14 $6.14

-69.87%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.54 $2.54

90.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$13.49 $13.49

24.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$10.34 $10.34

-11.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$19.70 $19.70

-0.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$5.93 $5.93

-49.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.54 $1.54

31.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$4.32 $4.32

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$5.40 $5.40

-48.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.01 $3.01

-30.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$3.11 $3.11

-33.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$3.10 $3.10

-52.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.96 $1.96

-52.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$10.05 $10.05

-31.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$14.72 $14.72

-46.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.76 $1.76

-19.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.54 $3.54

-28.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$5.84 $5.84

-46.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$199 $199

-87.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.05 $3.05

-1.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.91 $0.91

63.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$42.35 $42.35

-21.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.90 $0.90

100.00%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$27.5K $27.5K

20.86%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$26.4K $26.4K

20.26%

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

$180 €162

$170 $170

5.89%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$51.4 $51.4

-73.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$50.6 $50.6

-33.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$21.98 $21.98

134.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$14.98 $14.98

-26.64%

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

$917 €823

$2,006 $2,006

-54.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$15.8K $15.8K

4.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$50.8 $50.8

71.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$80.2 $80.2

-51.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$61.1 $61.1

73.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$88.5 $88.5

35.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$2,171 $2,171

-21.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,772 $1,772

-23.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$3,129 $3,129

-16.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$2,722 $2,722

-24.25%

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

$6,960 $6,960

-68.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.42

-48.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Edison, NJ: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 56.8% 30.8% $417

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Edison, NJ

$408 13.1% 26.7% $86

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Edison, NJ

$261 8.4% 2.4% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Edison, NJ

$272 8.7% 19.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Edison, NJ

$126 4.1% 20.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Edison, NJ

$52 1.7% 29.3% $22

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Edison, NJ

$230 7.4% 374% $181

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $2,171 in Edison, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $60 in Edison, NJ. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $408, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🕒 Local time

23:07 11:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

107,588

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Edison, NJ 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Edison, NJ

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 Edison, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,122 in Edison, NJ, so Barcelona is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Barcelona. 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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $2,171 in Edison, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,006 in Edison, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Edison, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,122 in Edison, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Edison, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Edison, NJ on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.