Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Longyearbyen Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Longyearbyen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $2,184 in Longyearbyen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $3,519 in Longyearbyen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $4,853 in Longyearbyen.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 8% more expensive than Longyearbyen, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Longyearbyen 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.14

$20.54 NOK 191

-14.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$102 NOK 949

-32.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.10

$13.80 NOK 128

1.88%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$6.14 NOK 57.1

-54.72%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$3.64 NOK 33.87

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$3.86 NOK 35.92

-46.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$7.33 NOK 68.2

-39.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.97

$9.56 NOK 89.0

-51.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$3.01 NOK 28.02

-58.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.75

$3.38 NOK 31.50

-39.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$3.18 NOK 29.59

-39.62%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$4.90 NOK 45.64

-32.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.87

$10.68 NOK 99.4

72.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.17

$14.80 NOK 138

-35.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.50

$28.22 NOK 263

-32.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.33 NOK 30.96

-20.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$3.06 NOK 28.51

-19.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$3.17 NOK 29.54

-33.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$4.60 NOK 42.82

-38.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$3.21 NOK 29.88

-36.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$3.52 NOK 32.77

-47.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.86 NOK 17.32

-20.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.66 NOK 6.12

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.15

$14.91 NOK 139

-52.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.79

$15.22 NOK 142

-48.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$3.26 NOK 30.37

-57.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$4.10 NOK 38.17

-43.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.57

$4.37 NOK 40.68

-31.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.20

$74.3 NOK 691

-60.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.96

$10.02 NOK 93.3

-54.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.02 NOK 9.47

102.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.13

$46.43 NOK 432

-37.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$2.09 NOK 19.46

-11.96%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$35.2K NOK 327.9K

10.75%

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

$32.7K €28.2K

$38.8K NOK 361.1K

-15.71%

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

$188 €162

$75.3 NOK 701

149.59%

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

$22.93 €19.75

$38.77 NOK 361

-40.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.61

$49.58 NOK 462

-25.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.41

$50.2 NOK 467

14.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.82

$35.51 NOK 331

-41.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.64

$12.06 NOK 112

-7.21%

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

$721 €621

$279 NOK 2,601

158.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €13.0K

$9,997 NOK 93.1K

50.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$94.4 NOK 879

-8.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.92

$52.6 NOK 489

-29.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.9

$110 NOK 1,020

-6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.8

$151 NOK 1,403

-23.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,321

$700 NOK 6,519

119.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,051

$884 NOK 8,231

38.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,321

$1,809 NOK 16.8K

49.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,734

$1,565 NOK 14.6K

28.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,217

$6,164 NOK 57.4K

17.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,468

$4,449 NOK 41.4K

16.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,032

$2,954 NOK 27.5K

-20.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

4.38

-22.60%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Longyearbyen: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $700 in Longyearbyen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Longyearbyen pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $102 in Longyearbyen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $445 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

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 Longyearbyen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Longyearbyen differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $2,184 including rent). Longyearbyen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Longyearbyen earns 25% less. 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $700 in Longyearbyen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $279 in Longyearbyen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 40% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,184 in Longyearbyen versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Longyearbyen but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Longyearbyen 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 Longyearbyen 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 Longyearbyen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.