Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Pago Pago

For one person, living is cheaper in Pago Pago: $1,456 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
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Pago Pago Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Pago Pago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,456 in Pago Pago.

Barcelona $2,405
Pago Pago $1,456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,262 in Pago Pago.

Barcelona $3,477
Pago Pago $2,262

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $3,068 in Pago Pago.

Barcelona $4,550
Pago Pago $3,068

Living in Barcelona is roughly 65% more expensive than in Pago Pago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Pago Pago 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$36.18 $36.18

86.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$10.07 $10.07

32.77%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

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

$2.95 €2.64

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.01 $1.01

88.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$3.89 $3.89

17.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.59 $2.59

-50.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.82 $2.82

-30.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$4.20 $4.20

-58.33%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$4.63 $4.63

5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$10.03 $10.03

74.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$9.83 $9.83

-7.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$11.47 $11.47

75.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$6.15 $6.15

-49.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.02 $1.02

99.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.93 $2.93

-11.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$4.02 $4.02

-32.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$3.92 $3.92

-45.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$4.06 $4.06

-45.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.98 $1.98

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$2.02 $2.02

-53.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$11.49 $11.49

-38.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$14.79 $14.79

-48.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.99 $0.99

50.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.88 $2.88

-5.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.03 $2.03

45.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$124 $124

-79.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$5.07 $5.07

-38.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.05 $2.05

-29.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$29.49 $29.49

15.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.36 $1.36

31.62%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$29.7K $29.7K

16.79%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$20.2K $20.2K

50.08%

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

$181 €161

$404 $404

-55.23%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$30.11 $30.11

-54.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$76.3 $76.3

-54.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$49.35 $49.35

7.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$10.06 $10.06

59.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$9.22 $9.22

23.32%

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

$939 €838

$989 $989

-5.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$9,838 $9,838

67.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$69.4 $69.4

27.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$50.3 $50.3

-20.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$81.3 $81.3

27.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$102 $102

17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$327 $327

419.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$201 $201

546.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$884 $884

191.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$707 $707

174.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$18.1K $18.1K

-58.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$10.7K $10.7K

-51.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$1,217 $1,217

88.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

9.33%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Pago Pago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Pago Pago

$201 13.7% 84.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Pago Pago

$364 24.8% 12% $39

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.9% 84.5% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Pago Pago

$510 34.7% 122% $281

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Pago Pago

$136 9.3% 13.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Pago Pago

$68 4.6% 10.7% $8.1

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Pago Pago

$147 10% 206% $99

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $327 in Pago Pago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 89% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $36.00 in Pago Pago. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $364, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

13 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

11,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Pago Pago 16,920 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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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 Pago Pago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Pago Pago differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,456 including rent). Pago Pago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 89% 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $327 in Pago Pago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $989 in Pago Pago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,456 in Pago Pago versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pago Pago but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Pago Pago 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 Pago Pago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pago Pago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.