Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Ulsteinvik

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,608 in Ulsteinvik, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Ulsteinvik despite lower rent and utilities.

Barcelona
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,399
/mo nomad
Ulsteinvik
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Ulsteinvik

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,608 in Ulsteinvik.

  • Barcelona $2,399
  • Ulsteinvik $2,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Barcelona versus $3,954 in Ulsteinvik.

  • Barcelona $3,410
  • Ulsteinvik $3,954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,421 in Barcelona versus $5,301 in Ulsteinvik.

  • Barcelona $4,421
  • Ulsteinvik $5,301

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 8% less than in Ulsteinvik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 78% above, Ulsteinvik 93% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Barcelona
Ulsteinvik
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.94 €15.96
$20.24 NOK 191
-11.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €60.5
$106 NOK 996
-35.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.28 €11.81
$13.39 NOK 126
-0.82%
Cappuccino
$3.25 €2.89
$4.68 NOK 44.06
-30.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.67
$4.17 NOK 39.26
-27.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 €1.66
$2.84 NOK 26.77
-34.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.85 €3.42
$13.40 NOK 126
-71.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 €3.98
$9.98 NOK 93.9
-55.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
Ulsteinvik
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 €1.15
$2.50 NOK 23.54
-48.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 €1.81
$3.59 NOK 33.75
-43.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$3.81 NOK 35.86
-54.86%
Eggs
$4.77 €4.24
$4.92 NOK 46.35
-3.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.77 €14.92
$13.40 NOK 126
25.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.93 €7.94
$15.42 NOK 145
-42.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.88 €17.68
$31.06 NOK 292
-35.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.65
$3.29 NOK 30.93
-9.42%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.80
$2.70 NOK 25.44
-24.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.73 €2.43
$3.44 NOK 32.39
-20.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.68 €2.38
$4.77 NOK 44.87
-43.82%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$2.52 NOK 23.72
-16.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 €1.85
$2.93 NOK 27.55
-29.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$2.90 NOK 27.27
-50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 €0.79
$2.55 NOK 23.97
-65.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.94 €6.17
$17.56 NOK 165
-60.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.78 €6.92
$16.52 NOK 156
-52.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 €1.29
$3.81 NOK 35.82
-61.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 €2.29
$3.90 NOK 36.72
-34.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Barcelona
Ulsteinvik
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 €2.66
$4.86 NOK 45.79
-38.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.20 €22.41
$85.7 NOK 806
-70.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.12 €2.77
$13.46 NOK 127
-76.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.73 NOK 16.25
-16.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.50 €29.80
$69.0 NOK 649
-51.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 €1.59
$2.13 NOK 20.01
-15.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K €30.8K
$41.7K NOK 393.0K
-17.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K €26.7K
$42.9K NOK 404.3K
-29.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
Ulsteinvik
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 €158
$266 NOK 2,505
-33.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.32 €11.85
$29.25 NOK 275
-54.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.88 €31.03
$53.4 NOK 503
-34.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
Ulsteinvik
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 €47.37
$48.70 NOK 458
9.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.01 €14.24
$34.49 NOK 325
-53.58%
Cinema Ticket
$11.06 €9.84
$17.01 NOK 160
-34.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Barcelona
Ulsteinvik
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$957 €851
$214 NOK 2,017
346.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K €14.7K
$14.6K NOK 137.2K
13.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
Ulsteinvik
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.2 €78.4
$98.4 NOK 927
-10.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.49 €35.12
$49.95 NOK 470
-20.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €91.5
$121 NOK 1,136
-14.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$135 NOK 1,271
-10.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
Ulsteinvik
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 €1,470
$1,096 NOK 10.3K
50.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,302 €1,158
$1,002 NOK 9,434
29.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,557 €2,275
$1,785 NOK 16.8K
43.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,915 €1,703
$1,659 NOK 15.6K
15.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,286 €6,481
$7,015 NOK 66.0K
3.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,080 €4,519
$4,138 NOK 39.0K
22.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Barcelona
Ulsteinvik
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,281 €2,029
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
4.94
-33.60%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ulsteinvik: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Barcelona
$1.3K
Ulsteinvik
$1K 23% $300
Groceries & Markets
Barcelona
$320
Ulsteinvik
$492 53.7% $172
Eating Out
Barcelona
$270
Ulsteinvik
$373 38.2% $103
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Barcelona
$226
Ulsteinvik
$349 54.3% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Barcelona
$158
Ulsteinvik
$182 14.8% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Barcelona
$75
Ulsteinvik
$83 9.8% $7.3
Getting Around
Barcelona
$47
Ulsteinvik
$127 168% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,653 in Barcelona and $1,096 in Ulsteinvik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $106 in Ulsteinvik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $492 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇳🇴 Ulsteinvik
🕒 Local time
17:45 5:45 PM
17:45 5:45 PM
Same time as Barcelona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,660,122
5,600
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Barcelona Ulsteinvik 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Barcelona
  • Ulsteinvik

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 Ulsteinvik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Barcelona and in Ulsteinvik?
Barcelona and Ulsteinvik differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,399 vs $2,608 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Barcelona compared to Ulsteinvik?
You'd need roughly $3,599 in Barcelona and $3,912 in Ulsteinvik 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Barcelona and in Ulsteinvik?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,653 in Barcelona versus $1,096 in Ulsteinvik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Barcelona and Ulsteinvik?
Childcare runs $957 in Barcelona versus $214 in Ulsteinvik. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Ulsteinvik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,399 in Barcelona versus $2,608 in Ulsteinvik, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Ulsteinvik. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Barcelona and Ulsteinvik?
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.
Is Barcelona or Ulsteinvik safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Barcelona and Ulsteinvik are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Barcelona or Ulsteinvik?
Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Ulsteinvik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Barcelona vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?