Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, VT and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $3,098 in Burlington, VT, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, VT
Learn more

Burlington, VT Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Burlington, VT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,098

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,098 in Burlington, VT versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Burlington, VT $3,098
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,642 in Burlington, VT versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Burlington, VT $4,642
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,187 in Burlington, VT versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Burlington, VT $6,187
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Burlington, VT is roughly 27% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, VT 129% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 $22.36

$17.66 €15.69

26.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$67.5 €59.9

18.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$13.61 €12.09

-10.29%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.10 €2.75

62.26%

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

$2.89 $2.89

$3.00 €2.67

-3.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.93 €1.71

22.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.15 $8.15

$3.84 €3.41

112.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$4.36 €3.87

88.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.25 €1.11

0.80%

White Bread (500g)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.12 €1.89

116.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$1.97 €1.75

200.00%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$4.76 €4.23

-5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$17.07 €15.16

-9.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 $12.25

$8.96 €7.96

36.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.07 $19.07

$20.65 €18.34

-7.65%

Apples (1kg)

$7.25 $7.25

$3.16 €2.81

129.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.97 €1.75

3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.65 €2.36

107.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.37 $7.37

$2.88 €2.56

155.90%

Potato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.06 €1.83

114.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.18 €1.94

81.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.53 €1.36

97.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$0.97 €0.86

193.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.26 $12.26

$6.97 €6.19

75.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.20 $15.20

$7.89 €7.01

92.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.42 €1.26

25.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.69 €2.39

65.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.31 €2.94

-40.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 $50.8

$25.61 €22.75

98.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.08 €2.74

-17.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.48 €1.32

20.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.73 $27.73

$32.87 €29.20

-15.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.87 €1.66

-39.04%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$33.0K €29.3K

-17.14%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$31.9K €28.4K

-16.71%

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

$151 $151

$183 €162

-17.45%

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

$55.6 $55.6

$14.24 €12.65

290.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$34.56 €30.70

79.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.0 $64.0

$51.4 €45.68

24.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.22 $28.22

$16.38 €14.55

72.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 $12.15

$11.06 €9.83

9.86%

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

$1,267 $1,267

$944 €838

34.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K $21.1K

$22.3K €19.8K

-5.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 $59.7

$87.7 €77.9

-31.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 $51.3

$38.77 €34.44

32.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 $70.2

$105 €92.9

-32.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$118 €105

31.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,426 $2,426

$1,697 €1,507

42.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 $1,678

$1,337 €1,187

25.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,601 $3,601

$2,692 €2,391

33.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,943 $2,943

$2,077 €1,845

41.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,831 $3,831

$7,155 €6,356

-46.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,217 $3,217

$5,079 €4,512

-36.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,442 $4,442

$2,241 €1,991

98.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

3.19

110.03%

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

Last update for Burlington, VT: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, VT

$1.7K 54.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 20.3% $341

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, VT

$487 15.7%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 32.8% $160

Eating Out

Burlington, VT

$354 11.4%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 24.6% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, VT

$269 8.7%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 13.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, VT

$151 4.9%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 3.7% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, VT

$88 2.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 16.6% $15

Getting Around

Burlington, VT

$70 2.3%

Barcelona

$49 2% 29.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,426 in Burlington, VT and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, VT pays 98% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Burlington, VT vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $487 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, VT

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

6 h ahead of Burlington, VT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burlington, VT Barcelona 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, VT
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

Burlington, VT vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,098 in Burlington, VT and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Burlington, VT, 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: $2,426 in Burlington, VT versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,267 in Burlington, VT versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Burlington, VT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,443 in Barcelona versus $3,098 in Burlington, VT, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Burlington, VT. 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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Burlington, VT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.