Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Johnstown, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Johnstown, PA: $1,657 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Johnstown, PA
Learn more

Johnstown, PA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Johnstown, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Johnstown, PA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $1,657 in Johnstown, PA.

Barcelona $2,381
Johnstown, PA $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $2,417 in Johnstown, PA.

Barcelona $3,406
Johnstown, PA $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $3,177 in Johnstown, PA.

Barcelona $4,431
Johnstown, PA $3,177

Living in Barcelona is roughly 44% more expensive than in Johnstown, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Johnstown, PA 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$13.58 $13.58

31.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$39.60 $39.60

67.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.19 $7.19

90.40%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$6.34 $6.34

-51.74%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.72 $2.72

12.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.60 $2.60

-25.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.93 $3.93

-1.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.88 $5.88

-21.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.23 $1.23

5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.39 $1.39

51.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$7.50 $7.50

-75.60%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$5.32 $5.32

-13.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$16.56 $16.56

4.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$4.65 $4.65

99.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$18.84 $18.84

5.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.91 $4.91

-38.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.32 $1.32

53.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$6.42 $6.42

-58.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.82 $2.82

1.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.96 $0.96

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.02 $2.02

6.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.14 $2.14

-31.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.71 $2.71

-67.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$9.97 $9.97

-30.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$15.03 $15.03

-47.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.72 $1.72

-19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$4.98 $4.98

-47.19%

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

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.96 $0.96

93.75%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$28.1K $28.1K

14.96%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$27.1K $27.1K

17.10%

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

$183 €163

$147 $147

24.06%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$14.88 $14.88

-8.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$69.5 $69.5

-52.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$36.40 $36.40

50.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$9.26 $9.26

21.27%

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

$954 €849

$2,258 $2,258

-57.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$60.2K $60.2K

-72.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$47.37 $47.37

81.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$36.50 $36.50

7.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$108 $108

-3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$122 $122

-2.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$643 $643

163.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$594 $594

114.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$900 $900

186.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$935 $935

105.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$829 $829

778.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$836 $836

499.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$2,182 $2,182

2.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.72

-51.19%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Johnstown, PA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Johnstown, PA

$594 35.9% 53.4% $682

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Johnstown, PA

$376 22.7% 15.6% $51

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Johnstown, PA

$259 15.6% 3.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Johnstown, PA

$232 14% 1.1% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Johnstown, PA

$141 8.5% 9.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Johnstown, PA

$55 3.3% 28.8% $22

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Johnstown, PA

- * 0% 100%

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 $643 in Johnstown, PA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 2% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $40.00 in Johnstown, PA. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $376, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Johnstown, PA

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

11:52 11:52 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

22,269

💱 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 Johnstown, PA 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Johnstown, PA

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 Johnstown, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Johnstown, PA differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $1,657 including rent). Johnstown, PA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $643 in Johnstown, PA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $2,258 in Johnstown, PA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Johnstown, PA – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,657 in Johnstown, PA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Johnstown, PA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Johnstown, PA 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 Johnstown, PA 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 Johnstown, PA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.