Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lillestrom

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,741 in Lillestrom, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. The total is higher in Lillestrom despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Lillestrom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,741 in Lillestrom.

Barcelona $2,453
Lillestrom $2,741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,180 in Lillestrom.

Barcelona $3,509
Lillestrom $4,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,619 in Lillestrom.

Barcelona $4,564
Lillestrom $5,619

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 11% less than in Lillestrom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Lillestrom 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$21.75 NOK 200

-19.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$125 NOK 1,147

-45.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$11.47 NOK 105

17.96%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$6.10 NOK 56.1

-47.70%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$4.24 NOK 38.95

-31.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.23 NOK 29.70

-41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$12.28 NOK 113

-67.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$10.79 NOK 99.1

-58.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.53 NOK 23.22

-48.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.87 NOK 35.57

-47.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.21 NOK 38.66

-56.06%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.97 NOK 54.8

-19.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$13.55 NOK 124

23.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$13.90 NOK 128

-34.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$28.81 NOK 265

-31.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.54 NOK 32.55

-15.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.86 NOK 26.25

-29.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$4.25 NOK 39.09

-36.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.49 NOK 50.4

-49.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.91 NOK 26.76

-28.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.62 NOK 33.28

-42.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.85 NOK 16.98

-21.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.43 NOK 22.28

-61.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$17.85 NOK 164

-61.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$16.97 NOK 156

-53.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$5.58 NOK 51.3

-74.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$5.87 NOK 54.0

-56.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.82 NOK 44.24

-34.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$85.7 NOK 787

-70.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$10.53 NOK 96.7

-71.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.78 NOK 16.32

-16.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$70.1 NOK 644

-52.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.27 NOK 20.82

-20.70%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$48.9K NOK 449.3K

-32.13%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$40.7K NOK 374.3K

-22.19%

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

$180 €162

$276 NOK 2,535

-34.63%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$39.04 NOK 359

-64.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$50.8 NOK 466

-33.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$50.3 NOK 462

2.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$37.67 NOK 346

-57.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$17.42 NOK 160

-36.91%

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

$917 €821

$325 NOK 2,982

182.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$13.5K NOK 123.7K

22.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$101 NOK 929

-13.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$57.7 NOK 531

-33.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$130 NOK 1,193

-18.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$159 NOK 1,458

-24.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,312 NOK 12.1K

29.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,063 NOK 9,768

27.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,112 NOK 19.4K

23.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,733 NOK 15.9K

19.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$6,073 NOK 55.8K

13.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$3,918 NOK 36.0K

30.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,803 NOK 34.9K

-41.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.94

-33.60%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lillestrom: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Lillestrom

$1.1K 38.8% 21.5% $292

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Lillestrom

$507 18.5% 57.4% $185

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Lillestrom

$394 14.4% 47.2% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Lillestrom

$366 13.3% 60.5% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Lillestrom

$201 7.4% 27.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Lillestrom

$85 3.1% 15.9% $12

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Lillestrom

$124 4.5% 157% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,312 in Lillestrom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lillestrom pays 72% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $125 in Lillestrom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $507 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

94,585

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.25 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Lillestrom 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Lillestrom

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 Lillestrom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,741 in Lillestrom, so Barcelona is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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 $1,312 in Lillestrom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $325 in Lillestrom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Lillestrom. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Lillestrom are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Lillestrom on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.