Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Scranton, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Scranton, PA: $2,386 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. The total is higher in Barcelona despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Scranton, PA
Learn more

Scranton, PA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Scranton, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $2,386 in Scranton, PA.

Barcelona $2,453
Scranton, PA $2,386

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $3,328 in Scranton, PA.

Barcelona $3,509
Scranton, PA $3,328

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $4,270 in Scranton, PA.

Barcelona $4,564
Scranton, PA $4,270

Living in Barcelona is roughly 3% more expensive than in Scranton, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 80% above, Scranton, PA 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.75

$11.79 $11.79

49.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$77.1 $77.1

-12.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$6.01 $6.01

125.12%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$4.37 $4.37

-27.00%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.52 $1.52

91.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.02 $1.02

85.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$6.71 $6.71

-40.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$7.69 $7.69

-41.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.75 $0.75

74.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.38 $1.38

46.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.13 $2.13

-13.15%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$3.31 $3.31

45.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$10.91 $10.91

53.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$8.67 $8.67

5.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.59

$11.19 $11.19

75.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$3.67 $3.67

-18.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.28 $1.28

57.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$3.36 $3.36

-19.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$4.46 $4.46

-37.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.01 $3.01

-30.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.24 $3.24

-36.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.02 $2.02

-27.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.03 $1.03

-8.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.15

$9.28 $9.28

-25.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.06

$12.04 $12.04

-34.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.93 $2.93

-51.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$4.81 $4.81

-47.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.78 $1.78

76.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.79

$60.6 $60.6

-57.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.22 $3.22

-7.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.00 $2.00

-25.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

$24.65 $24.65

35.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.09 $1.09

65.14%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

22.58%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$26.7K $26.7K

18.60%

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

$180 €162

$237 $237

-23.80%

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

$13.84 €12.39

$39.88 $39.88

-65.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.18

$49.44 $49.44

-31.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.13

$24.90 $24.90

106.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

$15.78 $15.78

1.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$11.20 $11.20

-1.87%

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

$917 €821

$769 $769

19.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$17.8K $17.8K

-7.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.9

$45.86 $45.86

89.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.49

$30.04 $30.04

28.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$73.8 $73.8

43.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$84.0 $84.0

42.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,522

$1,274 $1,274

33.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$1,304 $1,304

3.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,331

$2,143 $2,143

21.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,847

$1,880 $1,880

9.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,193

$1,703 $1,703

306.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,592

$1,421 $1,421

260.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,980

$3,250 $3,250

-31.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.67

-50.82%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Scranton, PA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Scranton, PA

$1.3K 54.7% 3.8% $51

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Scranton, PA

$299 12.5% 7.1% $23

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Scranton, PA

$224 9.4% 16.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Scranton, PA

$326 13.7% 43% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Scranton, PA

$105 4.4% 33.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Scranton, PA

$47 2% 35.6% $26

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Scranton, PA

$81 3.4% 66.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $1,274 in Scranton, PA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scranton, PA pays 47% 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 $77 in Scranton, PA. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $299, with Scranton, PA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Scranton, PA

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

22:01 10:01 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

72,861

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Scranton, PA 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Scranton, 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 Scranton, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $2,386 in Scranton, PA, so Scranton, PA is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% 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 $1,274 in Scranton, PA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $769 in Scranton, PA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Barcelona. 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.