Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Newark, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,865 in Newark, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
137

Cost of Living Index in Newark, NJ
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Newark, NJ Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Newark, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Newark, NJ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $2,865 in Newark, NJ.

Barcelona $2,443
Newark, NJ $2,865

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $4,206 in Newark, NJ.

Barcelona $3,519
Newark, NJ $4,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $5,546 in Newark, NJ.

Barcelona $4,595
Newark, NJ $5,546

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 15% less than in Newark, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 81% above, Newark, NJ 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.69

$20.32 $20.32

-13.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €59.9

$102 $102

-33.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.09

$14.46 $14.46

-5.88%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.75

$6.68 $6.68

-53.59%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$3.86 $3.86

-22.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.46 $2.46

-21.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$7.87 $7.87

-51.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$9.91 $9.91

-56.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.37 $1.37

-8.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$4.60 $4.60

-53.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$7.73 $7.73

-74.51%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.23

$6.00 $6.00

-20.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.16

$7.04 $7.04

142.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.96

$18.01 $18.01

-50.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.34

$20.84 $20.84

-0.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$7.08 $7.08

-55.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.29 $2.29

-13.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$6.79 $6.79

-60.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$6.74 $6.74

-57.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$4.61 $4.61

-55.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$4.86 $4.86

-55.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.00 $3.00

-49.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$2.73 $2.73

-64.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.19

$11.46 $11.46

-39.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.01

$19.68 $19.68

-59.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.92 $1.92

-26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.79 $2.79

-3.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.91 $1.91

73.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

$72.0 $72.0

-64.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.08 $3.08

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.21 $2.21

-33.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.20

$38.70 $38.70

-15.06%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

18.07%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$25.7K $25.7K

24.08%

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

$183 €162

$217 $217

-15.76%

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

$14.24 €12.65

$71.6 $71.6

-80.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.70

$70.2 $70.2

-50.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

$15.28 $15.28

236.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

$17.46 $17.46

-6.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.83

$14.59 $14.59

-24.19%

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

$944 €838

$2,155 $2,155

-56.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.8K

$33.9K $33.9K

-34.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €77.9

$59.3 $59.3

47.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.44

$27.50 $27.50

40.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €92.9

$120 $120

-13.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$137 $137

-14.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,507

$2,489 $2,489

-31.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,187

$1,321 $1,321

1.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

$3,273 $3,273

-17.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,845

$2,028 $2,028

2.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,356

$4,190 $4,190

70.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,512

$3,612 $3,612

40.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,991

$3,912 $3,912

-42.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

6.68

-52.25%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Newark, NJ: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Newark, NJ

$1.3K 46.1% 1.2% $15

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Newark, NJ

$521 18.2% 59% $193

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Newark, NJ

$371 12.9% 38.8% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Newark, NJ

$359 12.5% 54.9% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Newark, NJ

$155 5.4% 1.4% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Newark, NJ

$44 1.6% 39.5% $29

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Newark, NJ

$94 3.3% 90.2% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $2,489 in Newark, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newark, NJ pays 75% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $102 in Newark, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $521 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Newark, NJ

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

21:58 9:58 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

311,549

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Newark, NJ 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Newark, NJ

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 Newark, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $2,865 in Newark, NJ, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% 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 $2,489 in Newark, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $2,155 in Newark, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Newark, NJ. 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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Newark, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.