Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Fredrikstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,983 in Fredrikstad, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. The total is higher in Fredrikstad despite lower rent and utilities.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Fredrikstad
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Fredrikstad Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Fredrikstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Fredrikstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,983 in Fredrikstad.

Barcelona $2,399
Fredrikstad $2,983

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $4,345 in Fredrikstad.

Barcelona $3,410
Fredrikstad $4,345

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $5,707 in Fredrikstad.

Barcelona $4,421
Fredrikstad $5,707

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 20% less than in Fredrikstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Fredrikstad 121% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$26.28 NOK 247

-31.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$124 NOK 1,170

-45.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$12.65 NOK 119

4.98%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$6.77 NOK 63.7

-51.99%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$5.55 NOK 52.3

-45.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$4.39 NOK 41.36

-57.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$11.55 NOK 109

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$9.57 NOK 90.1

-53.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.34 NOK 22.00

-44.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$4.31 NOK 40.56

-52.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.43 NOK 32.31

-49.85%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$5.82 NOK 54.8

-18.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$13.06 NOK 123

28.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$17.96 NOK 169

-50.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$34.38 NOK 324

-42.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.37 NOK 31.71

-11.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$3.64 NOK 34.24

-44.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$4.30 NOK 40.49

-36.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$5.00 NOK 47.06

-46.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.63 NOK 24.74

-20.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.71 NOK 25.53

-23.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.82 NOK 26.50

-48.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$2.33 NOK 21.95

-61.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$15.51 NOK 146

-55.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$22.16 NOK 209

-64.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.49 NOK 32.81

-58.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$4.39 NOK 41.34

-41.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$4.11 NOK 38.71

-27.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$64.5 NOK 607

-60.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$12.56 NOK 118

-75.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.00 NOK 18.79

-28.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$70.1 NOK 660

-52.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.30 NOK 21.64

-22.17%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$49.8K NOK 468.4K

-30.40%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$46.9K NOK 441.1K

-35.83%

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

$178 €158

$331 NOK 3,118

-46.31%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$45.60 NOK 429

-70.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$66.9 NOK 630

-47.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$58.3 NOK 549

-8.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$40.86 NOK 385

-60.82%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$20.19 NOK 190

-45.22%

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

$957 €851

$168 NOK 1,579

470.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$12.5K NOK 117.8K

32.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$155 NOK 1,459

-43.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$78.7 NOK 741

-49.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$144 NOK 1,358

-28.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$112 NOK 1,051

8.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,329 NOK 12.5K

24.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,131 NOK 10.6K

15.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,822 NOK 17.1K

40.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,516 NOK 14.3K

26.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$6,022 NOK 56.7K

20.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$4,131 NOK 38.9K

22.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$3,372 NOK 31.7K

-32.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.95

-33.74%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Fredrikstad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Fredrikstad

$1.1K 37.9% 13.1% $171

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Fredrikstad

$540 18.1% 68.6% $219

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Fredrikstad

$446 15% 65.2% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Fredrikstad

$444 14.9% 96.3% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Fredrikstad

$220 7.4% 39.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Fredrikstad

$99 3.3% 31% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Fredrikstad

$103 3.5% 118% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,329 in Fredrikstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fredrikstad pays 48% 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 $124 in Fredrikstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $540 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇴 Fredrikstad

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

85,267

💱 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 Fredrikstad 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Fredrikstad

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 Fredrikstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Fredrikstad differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,983 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Fredrikstad. 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 $1,329 in Fredrikstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $168 in Fredrikstad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Fredrikstad. 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 Fredrikstad 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 24% less than in Fredrikstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.