Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Long Beach, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,170 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
152

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, CA
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Long Beach, CA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,170

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Long Beach, CA

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 Long Beach, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,170 in Long Beach, CA.

Barcelona $2,443
Long Beach, CA $3,170

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,689 in Long Beach, CA.

Barcelona $3,519
Long Beach, CA $4,689

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $6,209 in Long Beach, CA.

Barcelona $4,595
Long Beach, CA $6,209

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 23% less than in Long Beach, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Long Beach, CA 134% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$19.97 $19.97

-11.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$81.0 $81.0

-16.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$15.09 $15.09

-9.81%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$6.05 $6.05

-48.76%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$3.45 $3.45

-13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.42 $2.42

-20.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$7.53 $7.53

-49.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$9.64 $9.64

-54.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.05 $1.05

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$4.15 $4.15

-48.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$4.73 $4.73

-58.35%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$4.77 $4.77

-0.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$12.84 $12.84

32.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$20.28 $20.28

-55.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$15.61 $15.61

32.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$4.92 $4.92

-35.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.71 $1.71

15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$5.56 $5.56

-52.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$5.93 $5.93

-51.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.71 $3.71

-44.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.25 $2.25

-3.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.99 $1.99

-23.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.83 $1.83

-46.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$11.86 $11.86

-41.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$15.24 $15.24

-48.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.91 $1.91

-25.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.06 $4.06

-33.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.23 $1.23

169.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$65.3 $65.3

-60.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.05 $3.05

0.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.82 $1.82

-18.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$35.98 $35.98

-8.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.59 $1.59

17.61%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$28.3K $28.3K

16.56%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$27.4K $27.4K

16.59%

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

$183 €162

$170 $170

7.51%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$66.3 $66.3

-78.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$60.0 $60.0

-42.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$36.19 $36.19

42.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$15.20 $15.20

-27.24%

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

$944 €838

$1,936 $1,936

-51.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$17.7K $17.7K

25.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$57.5 $57.5

52.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$39.27 $39.27

-1.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$91.2 $91.2

14.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$147 $147

-19.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$2,097 $2,097

-19.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$1,759 $1,759

-24.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$3,556 $3,556

-24.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$3,038 $3,038

-31.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$7,121 $7,121

0.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$6,423 $6,423

-20.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

$4,670 $4,670

-52.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.31

-49.45%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Long Beach, CA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 55.5% 31.6% $422

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Long Beach, CA

$457 14.4% 39.5% $129

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Long Beach, CA

$358 11.3% 34.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Long Beach, CA

$296 9.4% 27.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.8% 3.9% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Long Beach, CA

$67 2.1% 9.4% $7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Long Beach, CA

$82 2.6% 67% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $2,097 in Long Beach, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Beach, CA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $81 in Long Beach, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $457 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

07:50 7:50 AM

9 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

469,450

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Long Beach, CA 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Long Beach, CA

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 Long Beach, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $3,170 in Long Beach, CA, so Barcelona is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $2,097 in Long Beach, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,936 in Long Beach, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Long Beach, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,170 in Long Beach, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Long Beach, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Long Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.