Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Palm Springs, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,804 in Palm Springs, CA, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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 Palm Springs, CA
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Palm Springs, CA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Palm Springs, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,804 in Palm Springs, CA.

Barcelona $2,453
Palm Springs, CA $2,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,462 in Palm Springs, CA.

Barcelona $3,509
Palm Springs, CA $4,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $6,120 in Palm Springs, CA.

Barcelona $4,564
Palm Springs, CA $6,120

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 13% less than in Palm Springs, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Palm Springs, CA 106% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$30.21 $30.21

-41.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$73.6 $73.6

-8.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$9.83 $9.83

37.64%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$5.31 $5.31

-39.92%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$2.77 $2.77

5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.57 $1.57

20.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$4.96 $4.96

-19.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$5.60 $5.60

-19.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.35 $1.35

-2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$4.01 $4.01

-49.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.96 $2.96

-37.50%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$5.64 $5.64

-14.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.03

$13.91 $13.91

20.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$13.85 $13.85

-34.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$12.34 $12.34

59.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$5.01 $5.01

-40.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.14 $2.14

-5.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$4.52 $4.52

-40.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$5.05 $5.05

-44.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$4.59 $4.59

-54.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$4.26 $4.26

-51.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.17 $2.17

-32.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.19 $2.19

-57.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$11.80 $11.80

-41.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.08

$13.53 $13.53

-41.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.65 $1.65

-14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.78 $2.78

-8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.03 $1.03

204.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$33.71 $33.71

-24.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$3.47 $3.47

-13.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.81 $1.81

-17.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

$23.64 $23.64

41.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.37 $1.37

31.39%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$30.3K $30.3K

9.43%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$26.3K $26.3K

20.76%

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

$180 €162

$243 $243

-25.81%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$81.6 $81.6

-83.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.27

$66.5 $66.5

-49.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.27

$32.81 $32.81

56.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$49.68 $49.68

-67.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$12.07 $12.07

-8.95%

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

$917 €823

$556 $556

64.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,546 $8,546

92.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$31.48 $31.48

176.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.59

$34.67 $34.67

11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$72.4 $72.4

46.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$138 $138

-13.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$1,961 $1,961

-13.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

$1,378 $1,378

-1.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,338

$3,450 $3,450

-24.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$2,963 $2,963

-30.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

$5,132 $5,132

34.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

$3,464 $3,464

48.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$4,839 $4,839

-54.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.68

-50.90%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Palm Springs, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Palm Springs, CA

$1.4K 49.1% 1.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Palm Springs, CA

$415 14.8% 29% $93

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Palm Springs, CA

$388 13.8% 44.9% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Palm Springs, CA

$391 14% 71.7% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Palm Springs, CA

$125 4.4% 21.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Palm Springs, CA

$57 2% 22.5% $17

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Palm Springs, CA

$50 1.8% 3.8% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,961 in Palm Springs, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palm Springs, CA pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $74 in Palm Springs, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $415 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Palm Springs, CA

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

14:37 2:37 PM

8 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

44,575

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Palm Springs, CA 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Palm Springs, 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 Palm Springs, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,804 in Palm Springs, CA, so Barcelona is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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 $1,961 in Palm Springs, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $556 in Palm Springs, 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 Palm Springs, 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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Palm Springs, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.