Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Porsgrunn Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Porsgrunn

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,320 in Barcelona versus $2,299 in Porsgrunn.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,426 in Barcelona versus $3,541 in Porsgrunn.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,532 in Barcelona versus $4,783 in Porsgrunn.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 1% more expensive than in Porsgrunn, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 74% above, Porsgrunn 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.45

$28.55 NOK 275

-38.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 €61.0

$101 NOK 977

-31.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.16 €12.39

$13.18 NOK 127

7.44%

Cappuccino

$2.80 €2.45

$4.95 NOK 47.72

-43.43%

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

$2.81 €2.46

$2.00 NOK 19.27

40.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.81

$2.06 NOK 19.85

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.02

$8.98 NOK 86.6

-48.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 €4.10

$9.67 NOK 93.3

-51.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.08

$2.05 NOK 19.72

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.78

$3.42 NOK 32.98

-40.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.73

$3.32 NOK 32.04

-40.36%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.05

$2.47 NOK 23.80

41.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 €16.04

$10.29 NOK 99.2

78.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 €8.60

$10.07 NOK 97.1

-2.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 €16.73

$34.84 NOK 336

-45.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.38

$2.00 NOK 19.29

36.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.09

$1.67 NOK 16.09

42.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.82

$2.49 NOK 23.99

-16.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.41

$2.80 NOK 27.01

-1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.72

$1.03 NOK 9.91

90.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.57

$2.13 NOK 20.51

-15.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.29

$2.35 NOK 22.70

-37.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.80

$1.90 NOK 18.30

-52.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.24

$14.21 NOK 137

-49.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.89

$18.13 NOK 175

-56.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.21

$2.99 NOK 28.79

-53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.09

$4.00 NOK 38.59

-40.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.01 €2.63

$3.37 NOK 32.47

-10.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.35 €25.68

$72.9 NOK 703

-59.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 €3.82

$10.05 NOK 97.0

-56.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.46 NOK 14.04

45.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.60 €25.90

$99.3 NOK 958

-70.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.59

$1.99 NOK 19.17

-8.54%

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

$37.9K €33.1K

$35.6K NOK 343.5K

6.37%

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

$32.4K €28.3K

$38.6K NOK 371.9K

-16.05%

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

$189 €165

$220 NOK 2,117

-13.89%

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

$22.29 €19.50

$44.23 NOK 426

-49.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 €32.51

$37.49 NOK 362

-0.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €50.8

$48.48 NOK 467

19.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.66 €18.08

$35.12 NOK 339

-41.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.87 €9.51

$14.71 NOK 142

-26.10%

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

$706 €618

$312 NOK 3,010

126.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K €13.0K

$10.1K NOK 97.0K

47.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 €78.3

$51.5 NOK 496

73.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.60 €32.02

$29.93 NOK 289

22.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €91.0

$69.5 NOK 671

49.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €104

$103 NOK 994

15.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 €1,381

$1,228 NOK 11.8K

28.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 €1,083

$884 NOK 8,529

39.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 €2,373

$1,856 NOK 17.9K

46.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 €1,784

$1,516 NOK 14.6K

34.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,527 €6,585

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,239 €4,584

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 €2,068

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

3.8

-10.79%

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

Last update for Barcelona: July 13, 2026

Last update for Porsgrunn: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,579 in Barcelona and $1,228 in Porsgrunn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70.0 in Barcelona vs $101 in Porsgrunn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $406 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

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 Porsgrunn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Porsgrunn differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,320 vs $2,299 including rent). Porsgrunn is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,480 in Barcelona and $3,448 in Porsgrunn to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,579 in Barcelona versus $1,228 in Porsgrunn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Barcelona versus $312 in Porsgrunn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,299 in Porsgrunn versus $2,320 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Porsgrunn but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Porsgrunn 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 Porsgrunn 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 Porsgrunn gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.