Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Medford, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,043 in Medford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
146

Cost of Living Index in Medford, MA
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Medford, MA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Medford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,043

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Medford, MA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,043 in Medford, MA.

Barcelona $2,443
Medford, MA $3,043

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,134 in Medford, MA.

Barcelona $3,519
Medford, MA $4,134

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,225 in Medford, MA.

Barcelona $4,595
Medford, MA $5,225

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 20% less than in Medford, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Medford, MA 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$17.41 $17.41

1.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$92.9 $92.9

-27.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$12.15 $12.15

12.02%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$5.35 $5.35

-42.06%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.87 $2.87

4.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.52 $2.52

-23.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$8.04 $8.04

-52.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$7.78 $7.78

-43.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.08 $1.08

15.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.81 $3.81

-44.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$5.51 $5.51

-64.25%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$4.66 $4.66

2.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$11.13 $11.13

53.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$13.98 $13.98

-35.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$17.86 $17.86

15.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$6.84 $6.84

-53.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.81 $1.81

8.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$5.51 $5.51

-51.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$5.66 $5.66

-49.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$4.42 $4.42

-53.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$4.03 $4.03

-45.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.27 $2.27

-32.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.02 $1.02

-4.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$13.36 $13.36

-47.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$13.78 $13.78

-42.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.15 $2.15

-33.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.97 $3.97

-32.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.47 $2.47

34.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$59.0 $59.0

-56.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.61 $2.61

18.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.73 $1.73

-14.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$27.77 $27.77

18.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.08 $1.08

73.15%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$27.1K $27.1K

21.77%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$26.7K $26.7K

19.83%

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

$183 €163

$236 $236

-22.53%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$55.8 $55.8

-74.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$81.7 $81.7

-57.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$42.97 $42.97

19.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$14.12 $14.12

-21.67%

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

$944 €840

$1,849 $1,849

-48.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$44.9K $44.9K

-50.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$56.0 $56.0

56.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$37.57 $37.57

3.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$80.8 $80.8

29.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$101 $101

16.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$1,554 $1,554

9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$1,647 $1,647

-18.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$2,594 $2,594

3.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$2,116 $2,116

-1.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$2,788 $2,788

156.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$2,298 $2,298

121.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.64

-51.96%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medford, MA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Medford, MA

$1.6K 54.1% 23.2% $310

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Medford, MA

$431 14.2% 31.4% $103

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Medford, MA

$317 10.4% 18.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Medford, MA

$373 12.3% 61.2% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Medford, MA

$124 4.1% 21.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Medford, MA

$71 2.3% 3.2% $2.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Medford, MA

$80 2.6% 62.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,554 in Medford, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $93 in Medford, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $431 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Medford, MA

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

56,173

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Medford, MA 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Medford, MA

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 Medford, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $3,043 in Medford, MA, so Barcelona is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $4,565 in Medford, MA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,554 in Medford, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,849 in Medford, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Medford, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,043 in Medford, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Medford, MA. 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Medford, MA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.