Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Williamsburg, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,819 in Williamsburg, VA, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Williamsburg, VA
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Williamsburg, VA Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Williamsburg, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,819 in Williamsburg, VA.

Barcelona $2,381
Williamsburg, VA $2,819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $4,192 in Williamsburg, VA.

Barcelona $3,406
Williamsburg, VA $4,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $5,566 in Williamsburg, VA.

Barcelona $4,431
Williamsburg, VA $5,566

Living in Barcelona costs roughly 16% less than in Williamsburg, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 76% above, Williamsburg, VA 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$18.86 $18.86

-5.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$76.3 $76.3

-13.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$12.80 $12.80

6.95%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.64 $5.64

-45.74%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$2.76 $2.76

11.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.12 $2.12

-8.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.09 $5.09

-23.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$7.43 $7.43

-37.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.10 $1.10

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.80 $3.80

-44.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.87 $3.87

-52.71%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.49 $3.49

32.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$13.12 $13.12

32.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$8.23 $8.23

12.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$14.66 $14.66

35.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$5.65 $5.65

-46.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.35 $1.35

50.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.73 $4.73

-43.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.37 $3.37

-14.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$5.62 $5.62

-61.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.31 $3.31

-35.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.55 $1.55

-5.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.79 $1.79

-50.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$6.56 $6.56

5.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$10.59 $10.59

-26.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.24 $2.24

-37.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.70 $3.70

-28.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.53 $1.53

90.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$44.81 $44.81

-43.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.05 $3.05

-1.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.42 $1.42

1.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$22.73 $22.73

46.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.84 $0.84

121.43%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$35.7K $35.7K

-9.42%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$25.4K $25.4K

24.93%

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

$183 €163

$186 $186

-1.89%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$47.66 $47.66

-71.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$59.7 $59.7

-44.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$93.5 $93.5

-41.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$24.79 $24.79

-33.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$14.74 $14.74

-23.81%

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

$954 €849

$1,887 $1,887

-49.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$24.2K $24.2K

-31.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$37.56 $37.56

129.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$35.37 $35.37

10.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$85.7 $85.7

20.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$155 $155

-23.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$2,290 $2,290

-25.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,517 $1,517

-15.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,670 $2,670

-3.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$2,651 $2,651

-27.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$2,168 $2,168

235.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$1,727 $1,727

190.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

$4,462 $4,462

-50.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.5

-49.54%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Williamsburg, VA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Williamsburg, VA

$1.5K 53.8% 18.8% $240

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Williamsburg, VA

$366 13% 12.6% $41

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Williamsburg, VA

$317 11.2% 17.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Williamsburg, VA

$294 10.4% 28.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Williamsburg, VA

$141 5% 9.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Williamsburg, VA

$123 4.4% 59.4% $46

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Williamsburg, VA

$61 2.2% 29.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $2,290 in Williamsburg, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Williamsburg, VA pays 100% 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: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $76.0 in Williamsburg, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $366 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇺🇸 Williamsburg, VA

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

22:34 10:34 PM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

15,425

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Williamsburg, VA 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Williamsburg, 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 Williamsburg, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Williamsburg, VA differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $2,819 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 100% lower in Williamsburg, 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 $2,290 in Williamsburg, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $1,887 in Williamsburg, VA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Williamsburg, VA. 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 Williamsburg, 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Williamsburg, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.