Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and La Plata, MD

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelona and in La Plata, MD: $2,453 and $2,441 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in La Plata, MD
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La Plata, MD Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

La Plata, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in La Plata, MD

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 La Plata, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,441 in La Plata, MD.

Barcelona $2,453
La Plata, MD $2,441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,635 in La Plata, MD.

Barcelona $3,509
La Plata, MD $3,635

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,829 in La Plata, MD.

Barcelona $4,564
La Plata, MD $4,829

Monthly costs are close between Barcelona and La Plata, MD; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, La Plata, MD 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$13.52 $13.52

30.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$90.4 $90.4

-25.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$7.62 $7.62

77.56%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$6.29 $6.29

-49.28%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.82 $2.82

3.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.56 $2.56

-26.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.46 $3.46

15.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$4.96 $4.96

-8.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.68 $1.68

-22.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$4.42 $4.42

-54.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$6.23 $6.23

-70.30%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$1.81 $1.81

166.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$12.70 $12.70

31.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$8.81 $8.81

3.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$13.15 $13.15

49.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$4.89 $4.89

-39.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.65 $1.65

22.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$6.32 $6.32

-57.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$4.44 $4.44

-36.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.04 $3.04

-31.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.08 $2.08

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.10 $2.10

-30.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.72 $2.72

-65.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$11.85 $11.85

-42.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$14.37 $14.37

-45.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.68 $1.68

-16.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$5.10 $5.10

-50.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.94 $1.94

61.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$58.1 $58.1

-56.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.73 $2.73

9.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.67 $1.67

-10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$29.72 $29.72

12.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.02 $1.02

76.47%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$32.6K $32.6K

1.85%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$30.5K $30.5K

3.79%

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

$180 €162

$97.8 $97.8

84.39%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$42.02 $42.02

-67.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$73.5 $73.5

-54.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$40.39 $40.39

27.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$15.14 $15.14

-27.41%

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

$917 €823

$1,210 $1,210

-24.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$23.0K $23.0K

-28.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$47.79 $47.79

82.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$36.43 $36.43

5.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$112 $112

-5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$121 $121

-0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,575 $1,575

7.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,284 $1,284

5.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$2,492 $2,492

4.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$2,098 $2,098

-1.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$3,038 $3,038

127.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$2,428 $2,428

111.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$6,502 $6,502

-66.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.25

-47.52%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for La Plata, MD: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

La Plata, MD

$1.3K 52.6% 5.3% $72

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

La Plata, MD

$398 16.3% 23.8% $76

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

La Plata, MD

$255 10.5% 4.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

La Plata, MD

$213 8.7% 6.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

La Plata, MD

$143 5.8% 9.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

La Plata, MD

$71 2.9% 3.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

La Plata, MD

$77 3.2% 58.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,575 in La Plata, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

La Plata, MD pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $90 in La Plata, MD for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $398 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 La Plata, MD

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

10,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Barcelona La Plata, MD 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
La Plata, MD

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 La Plata, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 66% 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 $1,575 in La Plata, MD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,210 in La Plata, MD. 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 $90 in La Plata, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.