Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellingham, WA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,010 in Bellingham, WA, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Bellingham, WA
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Bellingham, WA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Bellingham, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,010

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,010 in Bellingham, WA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Bellingham, WA $3,010
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,448 in Bellingham, WA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Bellingham, WA $4,448
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,886 in Bellingham, WA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Bellingham, WA $5,886
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Bellingham, WA is roughly 23% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bellingham, WA 121% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.70 $24.70

$17.59 €15.80

40.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$67.5 €60.6

49.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 $13.26

$13.53 €12.15

-2.00%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$3.19 €2.87

86.21%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$2.91 €2.62

8.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.89 €1.70

15.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$4.01 €3.60

71.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.53 €4.07

52.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.31 €1.17

-13.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.02 €1.81

89.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.85 €1.66

165.41%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$4.83 €4.34

2.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.80 $18.80

$16.74 €15.04

12.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.61 $18.61

$9.12 €8.19

104.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$19.64 €17.64

17.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.98 €2.68

72.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.02 €1.81

-6.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.70 €2.43

97.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$2.80 €2.52

125.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.09 €1.87

72.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.07 €1.86

52.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.46 €1.31

74.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.94 €0.84

162.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.44 $12.44

$6.87 €6.17

81.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$7.89 €7.09

89.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.41 €1.26

24.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.54 €2.28

125.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.14 €2.82

-36.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.51 $30.51

$25.45 €22.86

19.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.99 €2.69

-10.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.49 €1.34

14.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.27 $30.27

$33.37 €29.99

-9.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.80 €1.62

-20.00%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$33.2K €29.8K

-17.12%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$31.7K €28.5K

-18.87%

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

$217 $217

$180 €162

20.34%

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

$57.4 $57.4

$13.84 €12.43

314.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 $81.3

$33.70 €30.28

141.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 $62.0

$51.5 €46.28

20.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$15.96 €14.34

-7.14%

Cinema Ticket

$18.31 $18.31

$10.99 €9.88

66.61%

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

$1,125 $1,125

$917 €824

22.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$16.5K €14.8K

92.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 $80.5

$87.0 €78.2

-7.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.32 $28.32

$38.51 €34.60

-26.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$106 €95.1

2.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$120 €108

24.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 $1,707

$1,699 €1,527

0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$1,355 €1,218

7.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,598 $2,598

$2,603 €2,339

-0.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 $2,347

$2,062 €1,853

13.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,441 $4,441

$6,915 €6,213

-35.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,925 $3,925

$5,128 €4,607

-23.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,391 $4,391

$2,211 €1,986

98.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

3.28

103.66%

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

Last update for Bellingham, WA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bellingham, WA

$1.5K 48.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 7% $102

Groceries & Markets

Bellingham, WA

$505 16.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 36.2% $183

Eating Out

Bellingham, WA

$378 12.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 29.1% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellingham, WA

$356 11.8%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 35.9% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Bellingham, WA

$165 5.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 4.3% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bellingham, WA

$99 3.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 25.5% $25

Getting Around

Bellingham, WA

$50 1.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 2.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,707 in Bellingham, WA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bellingham, WA pays 99% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Bellingham, WA vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $505 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bellingham, WA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

17:56 5:56 PM

8 h ahead of Bellingham, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,482

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bellingham, WA Barcelona 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellingham, WA
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

Bellingham, WA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellingham, WA and Barcelona differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($3,010 vs $2,453 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Bellingham, WA, 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: $1,707 in Bellingham, WA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,125 in Bellingham, WA versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Bellingham, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,010 in Bellingham, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Bellingham, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, Bellingham, WA 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.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Bellingham, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.