Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Goldsboro, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Goldsboro, NC: $1,866 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Goldsboro, NC
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Goldsboro, NC Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Goldsboro, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$1,866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Goldsboro, 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 Goldsboro, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,866 in Goldsboro, NC.

Barcelona $2,381
Goldsboro, NC $1,866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,681 in Goldsboro, NC.

Barcelona $3,406
Goldsboro, NC $2,681

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,496 in Goldsboro, NC.

Barcelona $4,431
Goldsboro, NC $3,496

Living in Barcelona is roughly 28% more expensive than in Goldsboro, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Goldsboro, NC 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$14.75 $14.75

21.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$52.3 $52.3

26.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$9.59 $9.59

42.75%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.33 $4.33

-29.33%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.08 $2.08

47.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.60 $1.60

21.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.46 $3.46

11.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.95 $4.95

-6.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.86 $0.86

51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.52 $3.52

-40.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.24 $3.24

-43.52%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.91 $3.91

18.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$12.99 $12.99

33.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.92 $8.92

4.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$15.84 $15.84

25.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.92 $3.92

-23.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.08 $2.08

-2.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.34 $3.34

-20.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.18 $4.18

-31.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.34 $2.34

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.19 $3.19

-32.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.88 $1.88

-21.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.08 $2.08

-57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$7.23 $7.23

-4.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$13.98 $13.98

-43.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.67 $1.67

-16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.93 $2.93

-10.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.95 $1.95

53.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.36 $2.36

-38.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$18.30 $18.30

81.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.72 $0.72

158.33%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$25.4K $25.4K

27.14%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$23.3K $23.3K

36.20%

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

$183 €163

$120 $120

52.36%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$48.77 $48.77

-72.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$44.78 $44.78

-26.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$45.64 $45.64

19.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$12.23 $12.23

-8.18%

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

$954 €849

$772 $772

23.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$12.2K $12.2K

35.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$51.3 $51.3

67.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$37.17 $37.17

5.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$70.5 $70.5

46.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$69.4 $69.4

71.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,229 $1,229

37.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$868 $868

47.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,702 $1,702

51.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,267 $1,267

51.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,758 $1,758

314.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,748 $1,748

186.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$5,448 $5,448

-59.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.32

-48.10%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Goldsboro, NC: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Goldsboro, NC

$868 46.5% 32% $409

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Goldsboro, NC

$358 19.2% 10.1% $33

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Goldsboro, NC

$241 12.9% 10.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Goldsboro, NC

$213 11.4% 6.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Goldsboro, NC

$103 5.5% 34.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Goldsboro, NC

$70 3.8% 9.1% $7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Goldsboro, NC

$14 * 0.7% 70.9% $34

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 $1,229 in Goldsboro, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Goldsboro, NC pays 145% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $52.0 in Goldsboro, NC. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $358, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Goldsboro, NC

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

00:49 12:49 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

38,203

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Goldsboro, NC 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Goldsboro, 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 Goldsboro, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Goldsboro, NC differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,866 including rent). Goldsboro, NC is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 145% lower in Goldsboro, NC. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,229 in Goldsboro, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $772 in Goldsboro, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Goldsboro, NC – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,866 in Goldsboro, NC versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Goldsboro, NC but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Goldsboro, NC 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 Goldsboro, 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 Goldsboro, NC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.