Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Monrovia, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,926 in Monrovia, CA, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
134

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia, CA
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Monrovia, CA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monrovia, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Monrovia, 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 Monrovia, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,926 in Monrovia, CA.

Barcelona $2,443
Monrovia, CA $2,926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,313 in Monrovia, CA.

Barcelona $3,519
Monrovia, CA $4,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,700 in Monrovia, CA.

Barcelona $4,595
Monrovia, CA $5,700

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Monrovia, CA 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$24.99 $24.99

-29.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$98.7 $98.7

-31.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$11.70 $11.70

16.32%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$5.75 $5.75

-46.09%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.83 $2.83

6.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.96 $1.96

-1.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$7.66 $7.66

-49.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$10.03 $10.03

-56.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.18 $1.18

5.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$5.73 $5.73

-63.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$4.44 $4.44

-55.63%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$4.89 $4.89

-2.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$12.24 $12.24

39.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$20.67 $20.67

-56.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$13.99 $13.99

47.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$5.56 $5.56

-43.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.78 $1.78

10.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.20 $4.20

-36.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$6.51 $6.51

-55.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.57 $3.57

-42.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.51 $3.51

-37.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.37 $2.37

-35.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$2.30 $2.30

-57.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$11.64 $11.64

-40.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$15.28 $15.28

-48.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.78 $1.78

-20.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.80 $3.80

-29.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.84 $1.84

79.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$63.4 $63.4

-59.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$4.59 $4.59

-32.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.91 $1.91

-22.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$36.09 $36.09

-8.92%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

18.92%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$26.5K $26.5K

20.43%

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

$183 €162

$219 $219

-16.54%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$70.1 $70.1

-79.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$70.8 $70.8

-51.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$45.66 $45.66

12.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$11.79 $11.79

-6.19%

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

$944 €838

$1,862 $1,862

-49.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$35.0K $35.0K

-36.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$74.2 $74.2

18.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$40.65 $40.65

-4.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$78.7 $78.7

32.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$159 $159

-25.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$1,606 $1,606

5.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$1,394 $1,394

-4.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$2,499 $2,499

7.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$2,235 $2,235

-7.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$2,887 $2,887

147.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$2,073 $2,073

145.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.56

-51.37%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monrovia, CA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Monrovia, CA

$1.4K 47.6% 4.2% $57

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Monrovia, CA

$478 16.3% 45.9% $150

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Monrovia, CA

$381 13% 42.9% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Monrovia, CA

$360 12.3% 55.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Monrovia, CA

$158 5.4% 1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Monrovia, CA

$69 2.4% 5.9% $4.3

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Monrovia, CA

$85 2.9% 72% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,606 in Monrovia, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $99 in Monrovia, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $478 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Monrovia, CA

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

09:15 9:15 AM

9 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

36,590

💱 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

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Between locations

Barcelona Monrovia, CA 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Monrovia, 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 Monrovia, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,926 in Monrovia, CA, so Barcelona is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,664 in Barcelona and $4,389 in Monrovia, CA 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 $1,606 in Monrovia, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,862 in Monrovia, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Monrovia, CA. 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 Monrovia, CA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.