Cost of Living Comparison Between Boston and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Boston and Barcelona

🙂 Solo nomad: Boston is 6.3% cheaper than Barcelona without rent, and 0.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Boston is 1.7% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 3.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Boston
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.67 £20.36
$17.41 €15.03
58.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.5 £59.2
$68.7 €59.3
17.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.08 £8.16
$13.71 €11.84
-19.18%
Cappuccino
$4.58 £3.37
$2.78 €2.4
64.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 £1.39
$2.8 €2.42
-32.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 £1.18
$1.98 €1.71
-18.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.32 £3.91
$4.43 €3.83
20.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 £3.91
$4.53 €3.91
17.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Boston
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.2 £0.88
$1.24 €1.07
-3.23%
White Bread (500g)
$0.59 £0.43
$2.03 €1.75
-70.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 £1.17
$1.98 €1.71
-19.70%
Eggs
$4.41 £3.25
$3.46 €2.99
27.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.15 £7.47
$18.32 €15.82
-44.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.4 £5.45
$9.82 €8.47
-24.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.54 £12.91
$19.24 €16.61
-8.84%
Apples (1kg)
$3.45 £2.54
$2.61 €2.25
32.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.06 £1.51
$2.34 €2.02
-11.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.28 £2.42
$2.11 €1.82
55.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.63 £1.94
$2.77 €2.39
-5.05%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 £0.71
$2.04 €1.76
-52.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.7 £1.25
$1.77 €1.53
-3.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 £0.93
$1.5 €1.3
-15.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 £1.29
$0.85 €0.73
105.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$16.06 £11.82
$7 €6.04
129.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.65 £6.37
$7.13 €6.16
21.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.45 £2.54
$1.43 €1.24
141.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 £2.1
$2.29 €1.98
24.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Boston
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.3 £2.43
$3.02 €2.6
9.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.6 £64.4
$28.97 €25.01
202.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.42 £3.25
$4.59 €3.96
-3.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 £0.99
$2.02 €1.74
-33.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.95 £16.89
$29.56 €25.53
-22.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 £1.38
$1.81 €1.56
3.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.1K
$38.4K €33.1K
-0.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.3K £30.4K
$32.4K €28K
27.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Boston
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$397 £292
$190 €164
109.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.75 £13.06
$22.18 €19.15
-19.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.47 £26.84
$36.37 €31.4
0.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Boston
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.58 £34.28
$57.4 €49.55
-18.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$20.95 €18.09
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.14 £7.46
$10.8 €9.33
-6.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Boston
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,752 £1,290
$732 €632
139.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K £13.5K
$15.1K €13.1K
21.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Boston
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.9 £40.39
$86.8 €74.9
-36.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 £39.49
$36.78 €31.76
45.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.8 £52.1
$102 €88.2
-30.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$61 £44.88
$117 €101
-47.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Boston
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,206 £887
$1,581 €1,365
-23.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$996 £733
$1,230 €1,062
-18.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,044 £1,504
$2,707 €2,337
-24.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 £1,252
$2,028 €1,751
-16.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,602 €5,700
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$5,045 €4,356
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Boston
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,700 £1,987
$2,198 €1,898
22.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.9
3.39
74.04%

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

Last update for Boston: October 29, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

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