Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Molde

For one person, living is cheaper in Molde: $2,288 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Molde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,288 in Molde.

Barcelona $2,453
Molde $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,546 in Molde.

Barcelona $3,509
Molde $3,546

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,803 in Molde.

Barcelona $4,564
Molde $4,803

Living in Barcelona is roughly 7% more expensive than in Molde.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Molde 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$16.79 NOK 155

4.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$99.2 NOK 915

-31.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$13.43 NOK 124

0.74%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.01 NOK 36.98

-20.45%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.96 NOK 27.26

-1.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.48 NOK 32.03

-45.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$12.98 NOK 120

-69.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$12.03 NOK 111

-62.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$3.00 NOK 27.62

-56.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$4.41 NOK 40.63

-54.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$4.01 NOK 36.94

-53.87%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.49 NOK 50.6

-12.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$18.51 NOK 171

-9.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$15.95 NOK 147

-42.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.46 NOK 31.93

-13.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.16 NOK 29.12

-36.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.06 NOK 28.20

-11.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.95 NOK 45.65

-43.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.62 NOK 24.17

-20.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.31 NOK 21.29

-10.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.84 NOK 26.19

-48.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$20.15 NOK 186

-65.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$23.18 NOK 214

-65.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$4.27 NOK 39.32

-66.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$7.88 NOK 72.6

-67.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$5.28 NOK 48.62

-40.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$84.8 NOK 782

-69.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$16.27 NOK 150

-81.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.41 NOK 22.21

-25.31%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$31.7K €28.4K

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

$180 €162

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

$13.84 €12.40

$21.68 NOK 200

-36.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$84.8 NOK 782

-60.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$58.8 NOK 542

-12.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$18.72 NOK 173

-41.29%

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

$917 €821

$217 NOK 1,998

322.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$113 NOK 1,044

-23.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$138 NOK 1,271

-23.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$160 NOK 1,476

-25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$1,276 NOK 11.8K

33.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,013 NOK 9,335

33.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,931 NOK 17.8K

34.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,710 NOK 15.8K

20.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$4,375 NOK 40.3K

-49.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.8

-31.67%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Molde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Molde

–

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Molde

–

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Molde

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Molde

–

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Molde

–

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Molde

–

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Molde

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,276 in Molde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays 98% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $99 in Molde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $428 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇴 Molde

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

32,920

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Molde 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Molde

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 Molde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $1,276 in Molde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $217 in Molde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Molde are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.