Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,598 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Palmerston North

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $1,598 in Palmerston North.

Barcelona $2,453
Palmerston North $1,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $2,662 in Palmerston North.

Barcelona $3,509
Palmerston North $2,662

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $3,726 in Palmerston North.

Barcelona $4,564
Palmerston North $3,726

Living in Barcelona is roughly 53% more expensive than in Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Palmerston North 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$14.14 NZ$25.13

24.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$64.5 NZ$115

4.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.93 NZ$15.87

51.51%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$3.30 NZ$5.87

-3.33%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$2.29 NZ$4.08

27.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.77 NZ$3.15

6.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.56 NZ$11.66

-38.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.01 NZ$12.46

-35.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-28.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.17 NZ$3.85

-6.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.37 NZ$2.44

35.04%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$5.06 NZ$9.00

-4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$6.67 NZ$11.85

150.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$9.54 NZ$16.96

-4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$10.59 NZ$18.83

85.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.62 NZ$4.66

13.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.24 NZ$3.97

-9.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.34 NZ$4.16

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.55 NZ$9.87

-49.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.46 NZ$2.59

43.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.87 NZ$1.55

137.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.74 NZ$3.10

-16.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.76 NZ$1.35

23.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$22.42 NZ$39.86

-69.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$8.07 NZ$14.35

-2.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.69 NZ$4.77

-47.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.93 NZ$5.21

-13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.01 NZ$3.56

56.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$117 NZ$209

-78.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.89 NZ$3.36

58.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.78 NZ$3.17

-16.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$17.19 NZ$30.55

94.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.68 NZ$2.99

7.14%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.3K NZ$48.5K

21.67%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$24.0K NZ$42.6K

32.12%

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

$180 €162

$69.0 NZ$123

161.54%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$33.60 NZ$59.7

-58.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$35.32 NZ$62.8

-4.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$24.91 NZ$44.28

106.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$14.01 NZ$24.90

13.92%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.66 NZ$20.73

-5.75%

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

$917 €821

$1,058 NZ$1,881

-13.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$8,589 NZ$15.3K

91.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$69.7 NZ$124

24.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$28.83 NZ$51.3

33.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$84.3 NZ$150

25.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$84.6 NZ$150

41.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$914 NZ$1,625

85.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$627 NZ$1,114

116.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$1,618 NZ$2,876

60.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$1,428 NZ$2,539

44.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$2,058 NZ$3,658

235.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,907 NZ$3,389

168.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$2,521 NZ$4,481

-12.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.39

-39.15%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Palmerston North

$627 39.2% 53.8% $728

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Palmerston North

$286 17.9% 11% $35

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Palmerston North

$243 15.2% 9.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Palmerston North

$138 8.6% 39.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Palmerston North

$120 7.5% 23.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Palmerston North

$48 3% 34.4% $25

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Palmerston North

$136 8.5% 181% $88

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $914 in Palmerston North. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palmerston North pays 14% 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 $64 in Palmerston North for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $286 per month, with Palmerston North cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

17:11 5:11 PM

12 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

90,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Palmerston North 19,450 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Palmerston North

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 Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $1,598 in Palmerston North, so Palmerston North is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% 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 $914 in Palmerston North. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,058 in Palmerston North. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,598 in Palmerston North versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmerston North but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.