Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Tromso

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,073 in Tromso, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
149

Cost of Living Index in Tromso
Learn more

Tromso Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Tromso

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Tromso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $3,073 in Tromso.

Barcelona $2,399
Tromso $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $4,616 in Tromso.

Barcelona $3,410
Tromso $4,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $6,158 in Tromso.

Barcelona $4,421
Tromso $6,158

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 22% less than in Tromso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Tromso 128% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €15.96

$34.24 NOK 322

-47.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$103 NOK 974

-34.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$15.60 NOK 147

-14.87%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$6.77 NOK 63.7

-51.99%

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

$3.01 €2.67

$4.78 NOK 45.00

-37.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$3.69 NOK 34.75

-49.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$12.57 NOK 118

-69.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$13.64 NOK 128

-67.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.49 NOK 23.48

-48.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.81

$3.26 NOK 30.72

-37.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.92 NOK 36.91

-56.12%

Eggs

$4.77 €4.24

$5.18 NOK 48.80

-7.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.77 €14.92

$11.61 NOK 109

44.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.94

$14.85 NOK 140

-39.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$40.81 NOK 384

-51.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.96 NOK 37.24

-24.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.92 NOK 27.46

-30.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$5.35 NOK 50.3

-48.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$6.07 NOK 57.2

-55.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.53 NOK 33.27

-40.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$4.89 NOK 46.02

-57.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.98 NOK 28.07

-51.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$2.09 NOK 19.67

-57.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.17

$16.36 NOK 154

-57.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$17.30 NOK 163

-55.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.94 NOK 37.07

-63.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$4.66 NOK 43.91

-44.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.66

$5.03 NOK 47.39

-40.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

$67.0 NOK 631

-62.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$15.40 NOK 145

-79.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.04 NOK 19.21

-29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.50 €29.80

$56.6 NOK 533

-40.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.33 NOK 21.93

-23.18%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$48.3K NOK 454.8K

-28.31%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$43.5K NOK 409.1K

-30.81%

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

$178 €158

$253 NOK 2,383

-29.74%

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

$13.32 €11.85

$49.95 NOK 470

-73.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 €31.03

$82.3 NOK 775

-57.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.37

$50.5 NOK 475

5.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

$46.87 NOK 441

-65.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.84

$17.44 NOK 164

-36.58%

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

$957 €851

$313 NOK 2,949

205.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.7K

$7,407 NOK 69.7K

123.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.4

$65.6 NOK 617

34.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 €35.12

$35.36 NOK 333

11.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.5

$145 NOK 1,361

-28.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$163 NOK 1,538

-25.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,470

$1,566 NOK 14.7K

5.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,158

$1,244 NOK 11.7K

4.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 €2,275

$2,786 NOK 26.2K

-8.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 €1,703

$2,027 NOK 19.1K

-5.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

$6,960 NOK 65.5K

4.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

$5,271 NOK 49.6K

-3.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,281 €2,029

$4,125 NOK 38.8K

-44.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.01

-34.53%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tromso: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3%

Tromso

$1.2K 40.5% 4.4% $57

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$320 13.3%

Tromso

$536 17.4% 67.3% $215

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Tromso

$526 17.1% 94.8% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$226 9.4%

Tromso

$385 12.5% 70.5% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Tromso

$184 6% 16.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$75 3.1%

Tromso

$85 2.8% 13.3% $10

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Tromso

$113 3.7% 138% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,566 in Tromso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tromso pays 81% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $103 in Tromso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $536 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇳🇴 Tromso

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

Same time as Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

78,908

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Tromso 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Tromso

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 Tromso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Tromso differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $3,073 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Tromso. 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: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,566 in Tromso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $313 in Tromso. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Tromso. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Tromso 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Tromso. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.