Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Madison, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,931 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Madison, WI

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,931 in Madison, WI.

Barcelona $2,443
Madison, WI $2,931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,224 in Madison, WI.

Barcelona $3,519
Madison, WI $4,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,517 in Madison, WI.

Barcelona $4,595
Madison, WI $5,517

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 17% less than in Madison, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Madison, WI 117% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$19.92 $19.92

-11.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$65.0 $65.0

3.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$13.17 $13.17

3.34%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$5.66 $5.66

-45.23%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$3.02 $3.02

-0.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.45 $2.45

-21.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$6.62 $6.62

-41.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$7.72 $7.72

-43.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.95 $0.95

31.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.17 $3.17

-33.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$4.18 $4.18

-52.87%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$3.72 $3.72

27.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$14.49 $14.49

17.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$12.15 $12.15

-26.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$20.36 $20.36

1.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$4.59 $4.59

-31.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.62 $1.62

21.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.95 $4.95

-46.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$4.67 $4.67

-38.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.61 $2.61

-21.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.83 $2.83

-22.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.08 $2.08

-26.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$2.24 $2.24

-56.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$10.89 $10.89

-36.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$15.73 $15.73

-49.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.68 $2.68

-47.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.40 $4.40

-38.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.94 $1.94

70.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$65.5 $65.5

-60.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.91 $3.91

-21.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.96 $1.96

-24.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$44.61 $44.61

-26.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.07 $1.07

74.77%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$30.3K $30.3K

8.76%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$25.5K $25.5K

25.24%

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

$183 €163

$266 $266

-31.22%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$45.57 $45.57

-68.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$80.5 $80.5

-57.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$51.6 $51.6

-0.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

$10.12 $10.12

61.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$14.70 $14.70

-24.76%

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

$944 €840

$1,594 $1,594

-40.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$21.6K $21.6K

2.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$63.4 $63.4

38.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$46.65 $46.65

-16.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$108 $108

-2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$121 $121

-2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$1,723 $1,723

-1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$1,465 $1,465

-8.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$3,146 $3,146

-14.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$2,438 $2,438

-14.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$4,429 $4,429

61.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$2,478 $2,478

104.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

$4,430 $4,430

-49.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.81

-53.16%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Madison, WI: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Madison, WI

$1.5K 50% 9.6% $128

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Madison, WI

$416 14.2% 27% $89

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Madison, WI

$337 11.5% 26.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Madison, WI

$392 13.4% 69.2% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Madison, WI

$152 5.2% 2.8% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Madison, WI

$81 2.8% 10.1% $7.4

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Madison, WI

$87 3% 76.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,723 in Madison, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madison, WI pays 98% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $65 in Madison, WI. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $416, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

21:50 9:50 PM

7 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

248,951

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Madison, WI 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Madison, WI

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 Madison, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,931 in Madison, WI, so Barcelona is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% 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 $1,723 in Madison, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,594 in Madison, WI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Madison, WI. 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 Madison, WI are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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