Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnstable, MA and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Barnstable, MA and in Barcelona: $2,398 and $2,381 a month, rent and utilities included.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barnstable, MA
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Barnstable, MA Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Barnstable, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,398

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barnstable, MA and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barnstable, MA and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Barnstable, MA versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Barnstable, MA $2,398
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,546 in Barnstable, MA versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Barnstable, MA $3,546
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,695 in Barnstable, MA versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Barnstable, MA $4,695
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Barnstable, MA is roughly 1% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barnstable, MA 77% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.23 $18.23

$17.89 €15.92

1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$66.2 €58.9

11.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$13.69 €12.18

-26.37%

Cappuccino

$3.98 $3.98

$3.06 €2.72

30.07%

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

$2.12 $2.12

$3.07 €2.73

-30.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.94 €1.73

-13.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.87 €3.44

33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 $6.88

$4.61 €4.10

49.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.30 €1.16

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.10 €1.87

45.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.83 €1.62

124.04%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$4.62 €4.11

-10.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$17.36 €15.44

-62.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 $8.68

$9.28 €8.25

-6.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$19.83 €17.64

-56.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$3.01 €2.68

37.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.03 €1.81

-11.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.65 €2.36

69.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.87 €2.55

25.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.16 €1.92

2.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.15 €1.91

-0.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.47 €1.31

31.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.88 €0.79

177.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$6.93 €6.16

75.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 $12.75

$7.83 €6.96

62.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.39 €1.24

56.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.63 €2.34

52.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.91 €2.59

-32.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.68 $34.68

$25.46 €22.64

36.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.00 €2.66

13.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.44 €1.28

160.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.52 $25.52

$33.20 €29.53

-23.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.86 €1.65

-44.62%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$32.3K €28.8K

-15.50%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$31.7K €28.2K

-23.15%

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

$101 $101

$183 €163

-44.69%

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

$60.7 $60.7

$13.61 €12.11

345.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$32.93 €29.29

93.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 $41.77

$54.7 €48.65

-23.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 $24.38

$16.52 €14.70

47.58%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 $13.74

$11.23 €9.99

22.35%

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

$1,833 $1,833

$954 €849

92.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K $29.7K

$16.6K €14.8K

78.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 $55.9

$86.0 €76.5

-35.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 $37.94

$39.11 €34.78

-2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 $80.0

$104 €92.2

-22.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 $99.5

$119 €106

-16.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$1,695 €1,508

-6.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 $1,315

$1,276 €1,135

3.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 $2,496

$2,576 €2,291

-3.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 $2,179

$1,922 €1,710

13.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,718 $2,718

$7,281 €6,477

-62.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 $2,379

$5,010 €4,456

-52.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,584 $4,584

$2,227 €1,981

105.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.28

102.44%

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

Last update for Barnstable, MA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnstable, MA

$1.3K 54.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 2.9% $38

Groceries & Markets

Barnstable, MA

$322 13.4%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 0.9% $2.9

Eating Out

Barnstable, MA

$278 11.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 3.2% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnstable, MA

$226 9.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 1.7% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Barnstable, MA

$123 5.1%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 27.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Barnstable, MA

$69 2.9%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 11.4% $7.9

Getting Around

Barnstable, MA

$65 2.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 26.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,579 in Barnstable, MA and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barnstable, MA pays 106% 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: $74.0 in Barnstable, MA vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $325, with Barnstable, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barnstable, MA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

6 h ahead of Barnstable, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barnstable, MA Barcelona 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barnstable, MA
Barcelona

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

Barnstable, MA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barnstable, MA and Barcelona differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,398 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 106% higher in Barnstable, MA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,579 in Barnstable, MA versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,833 in Barnstable, MA versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barnstable, MA pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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, Barnstable, MA and Barcelona 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 1% less than in Barnstable, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.