Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Grand Forks, ND

For one person, living is cheaper in Grand Forks, ND: $2,034 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Grand Forks, ND
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Grand Forks, ND Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Grand Forks, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,034

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Grand Forks, ND

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 Grand Forks, ND actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,034 in Grand Forks, ND.

Barcelona $2,399
Grand Forks, ND $2,034

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $2,958 in Grand Forks, ND.

Barcelona $3,410
Grand Forks, ND $2,958

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $3,883 in Grand Forks, ND.

Barcelona $4,421
Grand Forks, ND $3,883

Living in Barcelona is roughly 18% more expensive than in Grand Forks, ND, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Grand Forks, ND 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$21.48 $21.48

-16.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$81.2 $81.2

-16.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$12.84 $12.84

3.43%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$6.06 $6.06

-46.37%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$2.69 $2.69

11.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.97 $2.97

-37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.15 $5.15

-25.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.95 $5.95

-24.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.10 $1.10

17.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.59 $3.59

-43.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$4.45 $4.45

-61.35%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$3.67 $3.67

29.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$24.05 $24.05

-30.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.97 $1.97

3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$4.45 $4.45

-38.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.12 $3.12

-14.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.26 $2.26

-7.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.82 $2.82

-26.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.24 $2.24

-35.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.95 $1.95

-54.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$10.09 $10.09

-31.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$34.40 $34.40

-77.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$5.84 $5.84

-55.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.46 $1.46

104.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$42.51 $42.51

-40.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$6.04 $6.04

-48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.86 $0.86

108.14%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

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

$30.1K €26.7K

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

$178 €158

$217 $217

-18.17%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$115 $115

-88.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$73.1 $73.1

-52.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$63.1 $63.1

-15.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$15.27 $15.27

-27.57%

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

$957 €851

$583 $583

64.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$989 $989

67.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$815 $815

59.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$1,575 $1,575

62.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$1,278 $1,278

49.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$1,483 $1,483

391.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$1,530 $1,530

231.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$4,082 $4,082

-44.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.82

-51.91%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Grand Forks, ND: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Grand Forks, ND

$815 40.1% 37.4% $487

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Grand Forks, ND

$322 * 15.8% 0.6% $1.9

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Grand Forks, ND

$343 16.9% 27.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Grand Forks, ND

$406 19.9% 79.4% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Grand Forks, ND

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Grand Forks, ND

$94 4.6% 24.2% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Grand Forks, ND

$54 * 2.7% 14.6% $6.9

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 $989 in Grand Forks, ND. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grand Forks, ND pays 79% 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 $81.0 in Grand Forks, ND for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Grand Forks, ND

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

02:37 2:37 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

50,372

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Grand Forks, ND 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Grand Forks, ND

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 Grand Forks, ND: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Grand Forks, ND differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,034 including rent). Grand Forks, ND is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Grand Forks, ND. 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 $989 in Grand Forks, ND. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $583 in Grand Forks, ND. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,034 in Grand Forks, ND versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Grand Forks, ND but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Grand Forks, ND 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 Grand Forks, ND 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 Grand Forks, ND gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.