Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Suffolk, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Suffolk, VA: $2,204 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Suffolk, VA
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Suffolk, VA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Suffolk, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Suffolk, VA

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 Suffolk, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,204 in Suffolk, VA.

Barcelona $2,381
Suffolk, VA $2,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,210 in Suffolk, VA.

Barcelona $3,406
Suffolk, VA $3,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,215 in Suffolk, VA.

Barcelona $4,431
Suffolk, VA $4,215

Living in Barcelona is roughly 8% more expensive than in Suffolk, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Suffolk, VA 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$19.92 $19.92

-10.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$80.2 $80.2

-17.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$11.96 $11.96

14.46%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.48 $4.48

-31.70%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.06 $2.06

49.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.95 $1.95

-0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.05 $4.05

-4.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.15 $5.15

-10.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.07 $1.07

21.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.32 $2.32

-9.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.55 $2.55

-28.24%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.87 $3.87

19.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$16.37 $16.37

6.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$5.41 $5.41

71.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$17.81 $17.81

11.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.06 $4.06

-25.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.09 $1.09

86.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.99 $1.99

33.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$4.36 $4.36

-34.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.66 $2.66

-18.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.12 $2.12

1.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.66 $1.66

-11.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$3.08 $3.08

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$9.44 $9.44

-26.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$14.79 $14.79

-47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.78 $1.78

-21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.69 $3.69

-28.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$4.09 $4.09

-26.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.99 $1.99

-27.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$25.34 $25.34

31.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.89 $0.89

108.99%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$30.7K $30.7K

5.40%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

24.31%

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

$183 €163

$150 $150

21.70%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$53.8 $53.8

-74.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$79.5 $79.5

-58.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$15.15 $15.15

-25.87%

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

$954 €849

$886 $886

7.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$47.14 $47.14

82.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$47.88 $47.88

-18.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$102 $102

1.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$133 $133

-10.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,206 $1,206

40.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,085 $1,085

17.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,054 $2,054

25.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,667 $1,667

15.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$4,706 $4,706

-52.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.68

-42.25%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Suffolk, VA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Suffolk, VA

$1.1K 49.2% 14.9% $191

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Suffolk, VA

$347 15.8% 6.9% $22

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Suffolk, VA

$296 13.4% 9.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Suffolk, VA

$283 12.9% 23.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Suffolk, VA

$148 6.7% 5.2% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Suffolk, VA

$30 * 1.4% 60.7% $47

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Suffolk, VA

$14 * 0.6% 70.3% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $1,206 in Suffolk, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suffolk, VA pays 111% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $80.0 in Suffolk, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $347 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Suffolk, VA

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

23:14 11:14 PM

5 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

94,324

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Barcelona Suffolk, VA 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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Suffolk, VA

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 Suffolk, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Suffolk, VA differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,204 including rent). Suffolk, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 111% lower in Suffolk, VA. 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $1,206 in Suffolk, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $886 in Suffolk, VA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Suffolk, VA – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,204 in Suffolk, VA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Suffolk, VA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Suffolk, VA 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 Suffolk, VA 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 Suffolk, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.