Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burbank, CA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,405 a month against $3,642 in Burbank, CA, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in Burbank, CA
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Burbank, CA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Burbank, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,642

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,642 in Burbank, CA versus $2,405 in Barcelona.

Burbank, CA $3,642
Barcelona $2,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,559 in Burbank, CA versus $3,477 in Barcelona.

Burbank, CA $3,559
Barcelona $3,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,476 in Burbank, CA versus $4,550 in Barcelona.

Burbank, CA $3,476
Barcelona $4,550

Living in Burbank, CA is roughly 51% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burbank, CA 172% above, Barcelona 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.41 $25.41

$17.98 €16.05

41.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$67.4 €60.2

14.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.95 $14.95

$13.37 €11.93

11.82%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$3.34 €2.98

73.35%

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

$3.79 $3.79

$2.95 €2.64

28.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.90 €1.69

39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.88 €3.46

100.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$4.57 €4.08

119.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.27 €1.13

2.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.96 €1.75

145.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.75 €1.56

159.43%

Eggs

$5.81 $5.81

$4.89 €4.36

18.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.40 $15.40

$17.47 €15.59

-11.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.31 $16.31

$9.06 €8.09

80.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.27 $19.27

$20.18 €18.01

-4.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.08 €2.75

65.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.03 €1.81

14.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.60 €2.32

51.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.71 €2.42

108.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.15 €1.92

47.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.21 €1.97

27.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.54 €1.38

41.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$0.93 €0.83

192.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$7.09 €6.32

66.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$7.63 €6.81

95.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.49 €1.33

67.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.73 €2.43

1.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.95 €2.63

-41.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.13 €2.80

0.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.45 €1.29

28.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.06 $32.06

$34.17 €30.49

-6.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.79 €1.60

-18.99%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$34.7K €31.0K

5.00%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$30.3K €27.0K

-15.44%

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

$214 $214

$181 €161

18.42%

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

$78.5 $78.5

$13.56 €12.10

478.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 $72.8

$35.12 €31.34

107.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$129 $129

$53.2 €47.44

142.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

Cinema Ticket

$19.80 $19.80

$11.37 €10.14

74.14%

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

$1,670 $1,670

$939 €838

77.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$16.5K €14.7K

92.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$88.2 €78.7

-28.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 $48.44

$39.77 €35.49

21.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$103 €92.3

2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$119 €107

-13.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 $3,217

$1,695 €1,513

89.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$1,301 €1,161

61.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,421 $5,421

$2,299 €2,052

135.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

3.28

92.38%

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

Last update for Burbank, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burbank, CA

$2.1K 57.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 38% $796

Groceries & Markets

Burbank, CA

$476 13%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 31.7% $151

Eating Out

Burbank, CA

$402 11%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 32.4% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burbank, CA

$365 10%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 37.2% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Burbank, CA

$168 4.6%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 54.9% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Burbank, CA

$144 3.9%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 9.4% $14

Getting Around

Burbank, CA

$19 * 0.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 149% $29

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 $3,217 in Burbank, CA and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burbank, CA pays 136% 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: $77.0 in Burbank, CA vs $67.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $476 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burbank, CA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

9 h ahead of Burbank, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,340

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Burbank, CA Barcelona 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Burbank, CA
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

Burbank, CA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burbank, CA and Barcelona differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($3,642 vs $2,405 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 136% higher in Burbank, CA, 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: $3,217 in Burbank, CA versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,670 in Burbank, CA versus $939 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $77.0 in Burbank, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Burbank, CA 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 51% less than in Burbank, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.