Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Salem, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,554 in Salem, MA, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Salem, MA
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Salem, MA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Salem, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Salem, MA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,554 in Salem, MA.

Barcelona $2,453
Salem, MA $3,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $4,918 in Salem, MA.

Barcelona $3,509
Salem, MA $4,918

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $6,282 in Salem, MA.

Barcelona $4,564
Salem, MA $6,282

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 31% less than in Salem, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Salem, MA 161% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.71

$25.21 $25.21

-30.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$101 $101

-33.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.08

$10.89 $10.89

24.24%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.85

$4.95 $4.95

-35.56%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$2.48 $2.48

17.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.13 $2.13

-11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.58

$7.90 $7.90

-49.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.05

$7.01 $7.01

-35.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.26 $1.26

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.61 $3.61

-44.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$4.43 $4.43

-58.24%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.32

$4.43 $4.43

9.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.95

$12.51 $12.51

33.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.14

$11.34 $11.34

-19.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.54

$16.95 $16.95

15.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$4.71 $4.71

-36.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.58 $1.58

27.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$4.40 $4.40

-38.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.68 $4.68

-40.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.79 $2.79

-25.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.93 $2.93

-29.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.51 $2.51

-41.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.20 $2.20

-57.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.14

$9.56 $9.56

-28.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.04

$15.25 $15.25

-48.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.22 $2.22

-36.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.35 $3.35

-24.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.81

$2.24 $2.24

40.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.73

$59.6 $59.6

-57.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.67

$3.47 $3.47

-13.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.78 $1.78

-16.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.81

$26.75 $26.75

24.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$0.88 $0.88

104.55%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$24.5K $24.5K

35.50%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$22.9K $22.9K

38.54%

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

$180 €161

$193 $193

-6.47%

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

$13.84 €12.36

$58.4 $58.4

-76.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.10

$65.7 $65.7

-48.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.01

$42.42 $42.42

21.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.26

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.82

$14.78 $14.78

-25.64%

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

$917 €819

$1,423 $1,423

-35.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$21.9K $21.9K

-24.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.7

$85.3 $85.3

1.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.39

$57.1 $57.1

-32.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$97.7 $97.7

8.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$98.3 $98.3

21.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,518

$2,353 $2,353

-27.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,211

$2,164 $2,164

-37.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,325

$3,963 $3,963

-34.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,842

$3,088 $3,088

-33.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,176

$2,802 $2,802

146.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,580

$2,303 $2,303

122.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,975

$9,667 $9,667

-77.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.57

-50.08%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Salem, MA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Salem, MA

$2.2K 60.9% 59.7% $809

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Salem, MA

$402 11.3% 25% $80

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Salem, MA

$366 10.3% 36.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Salem, MA

$317 8.9% 39% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Salem, MA

$152 4.3% 3.6% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Salem, MA

$72 2% 2.1% $1.5

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Salem, MA

$81 2.3% 67% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $2,353 in Salem, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salem, MA pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $101 in Salem, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $402 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Salem, MA

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

155,469

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Salem, MA 5,850 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Salem, MA

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 Salem, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $3,554 in Salem, MA, so Barcelona is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% 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 $2,353 in Salem, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $1,423 in Salem, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Salem, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,554 in Salem, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Salem, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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 Salem, MA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Salem, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.