Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Philadelphia, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. The total is higher in Philadelphia, PA despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Philadelphia, PA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA.

Barcelona $2,453
Philadelphia, PA $2,823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,218 in Philadelphia, PA.

Barcelona $3,509
Philadelphia, PA $4,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $5,612 in Philadelphia, PA.

Barcelona $4,564
Philadelphia, PA $5,612

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 13% less than in Philadelphia, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Philadelphia, PA 107% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.78

$23.40 $23.40

-24.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$85.0 $85.0

-20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.13

$12.73 $12.73

6.28%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$5.32 $5.32

-40.04%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$3.00 $3.00

-3.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.23 $2.23

-15.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$5.83 $5.83

-31.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$8.14 $8.14

-44.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.45 $1.45

-9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$4.34 $4.34

-53.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$7.04 $7.04

-73.72%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$4.93 $4.93

-2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.01

$11.93 $11.93

40.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.18

$12.45 $12.45

-26.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.61

$17.21 $17.21

14.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$5.59 $5.59

-46.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.60 $1.60

26.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$5.56 $5.56

-51.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$5.57 $5.57

-49.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.88 $2.88

-27.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$3.18 $3.18

-34.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.57 $2.57

-43.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.53 $2.53

-62.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$12.03 $12.03

-42.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$15.25 $15.25

-48.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.33 $2.33

-39.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.37 $4.37

-41.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.98 $2.98

5.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.83

$117 $117

-78.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.83 $2.83

5.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.58 $1.58

-5.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.94

$23.53 $23.53

41.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.10 $1.10

63.64%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$31.8K $31.8K

4.37%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.1K $26.1K

21.49%

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

$180 €162

$224 $224

-19.33%

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

$13.84 €12.41

$64.9 $64.9

-78.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.23

$67.5 $67.5

-50.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.21

$71.1 $71.1

-27.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.32

$88.9 $88.9

-82.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.86

$15.13 $15.13

-27.36%

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

$917 €822

$2,117 $2,117

-56.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$41.8K $41.8K

-60.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.1

$50.2 $50.2

73.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.54

$43.91 $43.91

-12.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.9

$103 $103

3.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$142 $142

-15.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,524

$2,069 $2,069

-17.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,216

$1,269 $1,269

6.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,335

$4,571 $4,571

-43.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,850

$2,103 $2,103

-1.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,202

$4,141 $4,141

66.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,600

$1,890 $1,890

171.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,983

$4,139 $4,139

-46.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.66

-50.75%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Philadelphia, PA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 44.9% 6.4% $87

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Philadelphia, PA

$450 15.9% 39.7% $128

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6% 32.7% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6% 56.2% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Philadelphia, PA

$152 5.4% 3.6% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Philadelphia, PA

$101 3.6% 37.8% $28

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Philadelphia, PA

$139 4.9% 188% $91

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philadelphia, PA pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $85 in Philadelphia, PA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $450 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

07:07 7:07 AM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,573,916

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Philadelphia, PA 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Philadelphia, PA

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 Philadelphia, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Philadelphia, PA differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $2,823 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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 $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $2,117 in Philadelphia, PA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Philadelphia, PA. 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 Philadelphia, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.