Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Little Rock, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Little Rock, AR: $2,150 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Little Rock, AR
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Little Rock, AR Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Little Rock, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Little Rock, AR

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 Little Rock, AR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,150 in Little Rock, AR.

Barcelona $2,381
Little Rock, AR $2,150

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,136 in Little Rock, AR.

Barcelona $3,406
Little Rock, AR $3,136

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,122 in Little Rock, AR.

Barcelona $4,431
Little Rock, AR $4,122

Living in Barcelona is roughly 11% more expensive than in Little Rock, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Little Rock, AR 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$16.69 $16.69

7.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$76.5 $76.5

-13.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.14 $11.14

22.89%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.10 $5.10

-40.00%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.92 $2.92

5.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.44 $2.44

-20.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.61 $5.61

-31.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.62 $6.62

-30.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.06 $1.06

22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.73 $2.73

-23.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.75 $2.75

-33.45%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.37 $3.37

37.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.15 $10.15

71.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$12.06 $12.06

-23.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$22.58 $22.58

-12.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$5.08 $5.08

-40.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.47 $1.47

38.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.52 $4.52

-41.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.90 $3.90

-26.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.82 $2.82

-23.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.53 $2.53

-15.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.92 $1.92

-23.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.86 $1.86

-52.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$9.26 $9.26

-25.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$13.25 $13.25

-40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.81 $1.81

-23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.73 $1.73

52.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.39 $1.39

109.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$36.10 $36.10

-29.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.54 $2.54

18.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.53 $1.53

-5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$23.86 $23.86

39.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.93 $0.93

100.00%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$26.9K $26.9K

20.20%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.1K $26.1K

21.30%

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

$183 €163

$219 $219

-16.66%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$59.2 $59.2

-76.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$69.8 $69.8

-52.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$28.32 $28.32

93.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$14.15 $14.15

16.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$13.10 $13.10

-14.27%

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

$954 €849

$1,051 $1,051

-9.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$19.2K $19.2K

-13.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$51.5 $51.5

67.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$38.74 $38.74

0.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$84.0 $84.0

23.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$152 $152

-21.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,145 $1,145

48.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$883 $883

44.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,535 $1,535

67.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,321 $1,321

45.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,912 $1,912

280.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,325 $1,325

278.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,988 $3,988

-44.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.75

-51.41%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Little Rock, AR: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Little Rock, AR

$883 41.1% 30.8% $393

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Little Rock, AR

$375 17.5% 15.4% $50

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Little Rock, AR

$291 13.5% 7.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Little Rock, AR

$348 16.2% 51.9% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Little Rock, AR

$147 6.8% 6.2% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Little Rock, AR

$55 2.5% 29.3% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Little Rock, AR

$52 2.4% 9.6% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,145 in Little Rock, AR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Little Rock, AR pays 79% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $76.0 in Little Rock, AR for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $375 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Little Rock, AR

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

202,591

💱 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 Little Rock, AR 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Little Rock, AR

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 Little Rock, AR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Little Rock, AR differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,150 including rent). Little Rock, AR is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Little Rock, AR. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,145 in Little Rock, AR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,051 in Little Rock, AR. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,150 in Little Rock, AR versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Little Rock, AR but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Little Rock, AR 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 Little Rock, AR 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 Little Rock, AR gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.