Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lakewood, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $3,284 in Lakewood, WA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
158

Cost of Living Index in Lakewood, WA
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Lakewood, WA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Lakewood, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Lakewood, WA

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 Lakewood, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $3,284 in Lakewood, WA.

Barcelona $2,381
Lakewood, WA $3,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $4,777 in Lakewood, WA.

Barcelona $3,406
Lakewood, WA $4,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $6,270 in Lakewood, WA.

Barcelona $4,431
Lakewood, WA $6,270

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 28% less than in Lakewood, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Lakewood, WA 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$18.09 $18.09

-1.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$67.6 $67.6

-2.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$12.71 $12.71

7.71%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.20 $5.20

-41.15%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.98 $2.98

3.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.05 $2.05

-5.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.90 $3.90

-0.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.10 $6.10

-24.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.02 $1.02

27.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.68 $3.68

-42.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.24 $4.24

-56.84%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.92 $3.92

17.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$13.72 $13.72

26.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.69 $8.69

6.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$11.21 $11.21

76.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.38 $4.38

-31.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.94 $1.94

4.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.16 $4.16

-36.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.52 $4.52

-36.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.97 $1.97

9.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.15 $2.15

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.02 $2.02

-27.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.49 $2.49

-64.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$12.36 $12.36

-43.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$15.84 $15.84

-50.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.98 $1.98

-29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$4.15 $4.15

-36.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.04 $2.04

42.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$197 $197

-87.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.02 $2.02

48.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.64 $0.64

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$27.31 $27.31

21.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.34 $1.34

38.81%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$28.1K $28.1K

15.10%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.3K $26.3K

20.52%

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

$183 €163

$289 $289

-36.70%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$74.0 $74.0

-81.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$89.5 $89.5

-63.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$41.00 $41.00

33.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$24.97 $24.97

-33.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$18.08 $18.08

-37.89%

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

$954 €849

$1,965 $1,965

-51.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$25.7K $25.7K

-35.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$50.1 $50.1

71.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$38.11 $38.11

2.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$100 $100

3.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$136 $136

-12.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,961 $1,961

-13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,733 $1,733

-26.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$3,365 $3,365

-23.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$3,047 $3,047

-36.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,359 $2,359

208.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$2,606 $2,606

92.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.81

-51.84%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lakewood, WA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Lakewood, WA

$1.7K 52.8% 35.8% $457

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Lakewood, WA

$369 11.2% 13.4% $44

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Lakewood, WA

$297 9.1% 10.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Lakewood, WA

$452 13.8% 97.2% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Lakewood, WA

$146 4.5% 6.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Lakewood, WA

$77 2.4% 0% $0

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Lakewood, WA

$210 6.4% 344% $163

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,961 in Lakewood, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $68.0 in Lakewood, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $369 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Lakewood, WA

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

00:38 12:38 AM

9 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

140,024

💱 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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Between locations

Barcelona Lakewood, WA 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Lakewood, WA

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 Lakewood, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Lakewood, WA differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $3,284 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $4,926 in Lakewood, WA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,961 in Lakewood, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,965 in Lakewood, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Lakewood, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Lakewood, WA 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Lakewood, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.