Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Islip, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Islip, NY: $1,259 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Islip, NY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,259 in Islip, NY.

Barcelona $2,453
Islip, NY $1,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,207 in Islip, NY.

Barcelona $3,509
Islip, NY $2,207

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,154 in Islip, NY.

Barcelona $4,564
Islip, NY $3,154

Living in Barcelona is roughly 95% more expensive than in Islip, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Islip, NY is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$26.10 $26.10

-32.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$122 $122

-44.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$14.05 $14.05

-3.70%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.14 $5.14

-37.94%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.85 $2.85

2.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.28 $2.28

-17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$7.77 $7.77

-48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$10.17 $10.17

-55.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.39 $1.39

-5.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$4.54 $4.54

-55.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.05 $4.05

-54.32%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$5.02 $5.02

-3.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$18.69 $18.69

-10.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$17.41 $17.41

-47.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$16.45 $16.45

19.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$4.47 $4.47

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.29 $1.29

56.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.17 $2.17

24.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.91 $2.91

-3.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.78 $1.78

17.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.17 $2.17

-4.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.53 $1.53

-4.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.10 $1.10

-14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$14.94 $14.94

-54.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.09

$12.96 $12.96

-39.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.35 $2.35

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$3.76 $3.76

-32.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.37 $4.37

-28.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.98 $2.98

0.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.20 $2.20

-32.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.99

$41.26 $41.26

-19.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.17 $1.17

53.85%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$27.9K $27.9K

18.78%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$26.7K $26.7K

18.87%

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

$180 €162

$80.2 $80.2

125.06%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$71.2 $71.2

-80.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.28

$69.8 $69.8

-51.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.28

$59.6 $59.6

-13.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$15.83 $15.83

-30.57%

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

$917 €824

$3,537 $3,537

-74.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$61.6K $61.6K

-73.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$44.55 $44.55

95.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.60

$27.92 $27.92

37.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$75.0 $75.0

41.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$91.4 $91.4

30.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,989 $1,989

-14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,218

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$3,382 $3,382

-23.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,213

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,607

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$3,975 $3,975

-44.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.63

-50.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Islip, NY: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Islip, NY

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Islip, NY

$416 33% 29.1% $94

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Islip, NY

$392 31.2% 46.4% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Islip, NY

$221 17.6% 3% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Islip, NY

$107 8.5% 32% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Islip, NY

$91 7.3% 24.2% $18

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Islip, NY

$31 * 2.5% 35.1% $17

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 $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,989 in Islip, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $122 in Islip, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $416 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

10:24 10:24 AM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

339,938

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Islip, NY 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Islip, NY

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 Islip, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Islip, NY differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $1,259 including rent). Islip, NY is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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 $1,989 in Islip, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $3,537 in Islip, NY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $122 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,259 in Islip, NY versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Islip, NY but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Islip, NY 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.