Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Glendale, AZ

For one person, living is cheaper in Glendale, AZ: $2,173 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,399
/mo nomad
Glendale, AZ
🇺🇸 United States
$2,173
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Glendale, AZ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,173 in Glendale, AZ.

  • Barcelona $2,399
  • Glendale, AZ $2,173

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,425 in Glendale, AZ.

  • Barcelona $3,410
  • Glendale, AZ $3,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $4,676 in Glendale, AZ.

  • Barcelona $4,421
  • Glendale, AZ $4,676

Living in Barcelona is roughly 10% more expensive than in Glendale, AZ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Glendale, AZ 61% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Glendale, AZ
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.94 €15.96
$15.13 $15.13
18.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €60.5
$62.1 $62.1
9.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.28 €11.81
$12.45 $12.45
6.67%
Cappuccino
$3.25 €2.89
$5.38 $5.38
-39.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.67
$2.17 $2.17
38.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.96 $1.96
-4.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.85 €3.42
$7.11 $7.11
-45.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 €3.98
$7.21 $7.21
-37.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Glendale, AZ
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 €1.15
$0.96 $0.96
34.38%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 €1.81
$3.24 $3.24
-37.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$5.11 $5.11
-66.34%
Eggs
$4.77 €4.24
$4.54 $4.54
5.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.77 €14.92
$13.36 $13.36
25.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.93 €7.94
$11.27 $11.27
-20.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.88 €17.68
$16.92 $16.92
17.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.65
$4.57 $4.57
-34.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.80
$1.87 $1.87
8.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.73 €2.43
$3.94 $3.94
-30.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.68 €2.38
$4.12 $4.12
-34.95%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$2.45 $2.45
-14.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 €1.85
$2.91 $2.91
-28.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$2.13 $2.13
-31.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 €0.79
$2.10 $2.10
-57.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.94 €6.17
$10.47 $10.47
-33.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.78 €6.92
$13.35 $13.35
-41.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.77 $1.77
-18.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 €2.29
$3.75 $3.75
-31.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Glendale, AZ
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 €2.66
$2.04 $2.04
46.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.20 €22.41
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.12 €2.77
$2.72 $2.72
14.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.34 $1.34
7.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.50 €29.80
$35.46 $35.46
-5.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 €1.59
$1.02 $1.02
75.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K €30.8K
$36.1K $36.1K
-4.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K €26.7K
$25.9K $25.9K
15.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Glendale, AZ
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 €158
$194 $194
-8.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.32 €11.85
$48.28 $48.28
-72.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.88 €31.03
$66.4 $66.4
-47.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Glendale, AZ
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 €47.37
$34.52 $34.52
54.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.01 €14.24
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.84
$9.95 $9.95
11.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Glendale, AZ
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$957 €851
$1,089 $1,089
-12.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.7K
$15.8K $15.8K
5.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Glendale, AZ
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.2 €78.4
$54.3 $54.3
62.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.49 €35.12
$42.94 $42.94
-8.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €91.5
$88.2 $88.2
16.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$103 $103
17.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Glendale, AZ
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 €1,470
$1,360 $1,360
21.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,302 €1,158
$985 $985
32.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,557 €2,275
$2,469 $2,469
3.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,915 €1,703
$2,105 $2,105
-9.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,286 €6,481
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,080 €4,519
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Glendale, AZ
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,281 €2,029
$3,716 $3,716
-38.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
6.23
-47.35%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Glendale, AZ: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Glendale, AZ
$985 24.3% $317
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$320
Glendale, AZ
$388 21.3% $68
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Glendale, AZ
$289 7.2% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$226
Glendale, AZ
$309 36.7% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Glendale, AZ
$130 18% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$75
Glendale, AZ
$54 27.8% $21
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Glendale, AZ
$18 * 63% $30

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 $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,360 in Glendale, AZ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Glendale, AZ pays 63% 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 $62.0 in Glendale, AZ. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $388, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇺🇸 Glendale, AZ
🕒 Local time
22:30 10:30 PM
13:30 1:30 PM
9 h behind Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
200,831
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Glendale, AZ 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Glendale, AZ

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 Glendale, AZ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Glendale, AZ?
Barcelona and Glendale, AZ differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,173 including rent). Glendale, AZ is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Glendale, AZ. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Glendale, AZ?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,360 in Glendale, AZ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Glendale, AZ?
Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $1,089 in Glendale, AZ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Glendale, AZ – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $68.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $2,173 in Glendale, AZ versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Glendale, AZ but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Glendale, AZ the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Glendale, AZ?
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.
Is Barcelona or Glendale, AZ safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Glendale, AZ are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Glendale, AZ?
Expats usually find Glendale, AZ gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Barcelona vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?