Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Monterey Park, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,949 in Monterey Park, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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 Monterey Park, CA
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Monterey Park, CA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monterey Park, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,949 in Monterey Park, CA.

Barcelona $2,443
Monterey Park, CA $2,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,287 in Monterey Park, CA.

Barcelona $3,519
Monterey Park, CA $4,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,625 in Monterey Park, CA.

Barcelona $4,595
Monterey Park, CA $5,625

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 17% less than in Monterey Park, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Monterey Park, CA 118% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.71

$28.42 $28.42

-37.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$82.7 $82.7

-18.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.12

$15.16 $15.16

-10.22%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$5.92 $5.92

-47.64%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$3.04 $3.04

-1.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.73 $2.73

-29.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.42

$8.55 $8.55

-55.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$9.86 $9.86

-55.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.27 $1.27

-1.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$4.87 $4.87

-56.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$4.64 $4.64

-57.54%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$5.42 $5.42

-12.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.19

$10.88 $10.88

56.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$8.59 $8.59

4.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.38

$20.16 $20.16

2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$4.67 $4.67

-32.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.20 $2.20

-10.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.09 $4.09

-35.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$5.64 $5.64

-48.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.41 $3.41

-39.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.80 $2.80

-22.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.95 $1.95

-21.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$2.62 $2.62

-62.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.20

$11.84 $11.84

-41.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

$14.73 $14.73

-46.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.52 $2.52

-43.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.78 $2.78

-3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.76 $1.76

88.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.79

$56.7 $56.7

-54.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.75 $3.75

-17.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.22 $2.22

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

$38.53 $38.53

-14.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.50 $1.50

24.67%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$28.4K $28.4K

16.24%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$26.6K $26.6K

19.99%

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

$183 €163

$269 $269

-31.92%

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

$14.24 €12.67

$85.7 $85.7

-83.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

$78.1 $78.1

-55.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.76

$44.33 $44.33

15.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.58

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.85

$18.34 $18.34

-39.69%

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

$944 €840

$1,186 $1,186

-20.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$13.0K $13.0K

71.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$63.2 $63.2

38.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

$55.4 $55.4

-30.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$121 $121

-13.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$215 $215

-45.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

$1,565 $1,565

8.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$1,302 $1,302

2.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,396

$2,619 $2,619

2.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$2,077 $2,077

-0.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,367

$2,585 $2,585

176.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,520

$2,343 $2,343

116.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

$1,626 $1,626

37.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.31

-49.45%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterey Park, CA: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Monterey Park, CA

$1.3K 44.1% 2.6% $35

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Monterey Park, CA

$421 14.3% 28.6% $94

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Monterey Park, CA

$429 14.6% 60.9% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Monterey Park, CA

$432 14.7% 86.6% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Monterey Park, CA

$205 6.9% 30.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Monterey Park, CA

$81 2.8% 10.1% $7.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Monterey Park, CA

$79 2.7% 59.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $1,565 in Monterey Park, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 38% 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 $83 in Monterey Park, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $421 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Monterey Park, CA

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

01:33 1:33 AM

9 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

60,269

💱 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 Monterey Park, CA 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Monterey Park, 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 Monterey Park, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,949 in Monterey Park, CA, so Barcelona is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $1,565 in Monterey Park, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $1,186 in Monterey Park, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Monterey Park, 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 Monterey Park, CA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.