Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Wilkes-Barre, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Wilkes-Barre, PA: $2,190 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA
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Wilkes-Barre, PA Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,190 in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Barcelona $2,381
Wilkes-Barre, PA $2,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $3,358 in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Barcelona $3,406
Wilkes-Barre, PA $3,358

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $4,526 in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Barcelona $4,431
Wilkes-Barre, PA $4,526

Living in Barcelona is roughly 9% more expensive than in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Wilkes-Barre, PA 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$18.15 $18.15

-1.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$49.37 $49.37

34.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$10.40 $10.40

31.63%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.91 $3.91

-21.74%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.99 $0.99

210.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.99 $1.99

-2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$6.85 $6.85

-43.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$7.31 $7.31

-36.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.90 $0.90

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.25 $3.25

-35.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$4.38 $4.38

-58.22%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$4.02 $4.02

14.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$10.82 $10.82

60.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$13.33 $13.33

-30.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$17.75 $17.75

11.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$6.42 $6.42

-53.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.39 $1.39

46.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$5.39 $5.39

-50.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$6.79 $6.79

-57.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.90 $2.90

-25.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.77 $3.77

-42.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.97 $2.97

-50.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.74 $2.74

-67.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$15.11 $15.11

-54.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$14.83 $14.83

-47.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.06 $3.06

-54.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$4.70 $4.70

-44.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.47 $1.47

97.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.83 $3.83

-21.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.19 $2.19

-34.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$29.91 $29.91

11.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.10 $1.10

69.09%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$30.9K $30.9K

4.51%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.8K $26.8K

18.08%

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

$183 €163

$238 $238

-23.21%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$57.5 $57.5

-76.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$74.2 $74.2

-55.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$49.49 $49.49

10.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.75 $14.75

-23.86%

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

$954 €849

$1,732 $1,732

-44.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$17.7K $17.7K

-5.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$54.5 $54.5

57.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$48.05 $48.05

-18.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$96.1 $96.1

7.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$124 $124

-4.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$1,253 $1,253

35.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$852 $852

49.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$1,736 $1,736

48.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$1,752 $1,752

9.73%

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

$4,296 $4,296

-48.17%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Wilkes-Barre, PA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$852 38.9% 33.2% $424

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$439 20% 35% $114

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$284 13% 5.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$370 16.9% 61.2% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$145 6.6% 7.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$79 3.6% 2.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$21 * 0.9% 56.3% $27

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 $1,253 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wilkes-Barre, PA pays 93% 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 $49.00 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $439, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Wilkes-Barre, PA

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

18:10 6:10 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

41,288

💱 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Wilkes-Barre, 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Wilkes-Barre, PA differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,190 including rent). Wilkes-Barre, PA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 93% lower in Wilkes-Barre, PA. 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 $1,253 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,732 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wilkes-Barre, PA – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,190 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wilkes-Barre, PA but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Wilkes-Barre, PA 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.