Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cary, NC and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,871 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
Learn more

Cary, NC Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,871

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,871 in Cary, NC versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Cary, NC $2,871
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,202 in Cary, NC versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Cary, NC $4,202
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,532 in Cary, NC versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Cary, NC $5,532
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Cary, NC is roughly 17% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cary, NC 111% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$17.59 €15.75

12.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$67.5 €60.5

49.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 $10.32

$13.53 €12.12

-23.73%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$3.19 €2.86

59.56%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$2.91 €2.61

-27.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.89 €1.70

1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.01 €3.59

9.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.34 $6.34

$4.53 €4.06

39.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.31 €1.17

-23.66%

White Bread (500g)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.02 €1.81

173.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$1.85 €1.66

218.92%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$4.83 €4.33

-12.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.17 $18.17

$16.74 €14.99

8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$9.12 €8.17

88.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 $17.71

$19.64 €17.59

-9.83%

Apples (1kg)

$6.00 $6.00

$2.98 €2.67

101.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.02 €1.81

-7.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.70 €2.42

33.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$2.80 €2.51

138.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.09 €1.87

52.15%

Onion (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.07 €1.85

110.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.46 €1.31

93.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.94 €0.84

152.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$6.87 €6.15

43.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.22 $10.22

$7.89 €7.06

29.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.41 €1.26

61.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.54 €2.27

56.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.14 €2.82

-19.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.9 $80.9

$25.45 €22.79

217.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.89

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.80 €1.61

-51.67%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$31.7K €28.4K

-7.80%

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

$184 $184

$180 €162

1.88%

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

$48.24 $48.24

$13.84 €12.39

248.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$33.70 €30.18

101.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 $77.0

$51.5 €46.13

49.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.39 $22.39

$15.96 €14.29

40.29%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$10.99 €9.85

37.03%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$917 €821

59.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$87.0 €77.9

-26.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.17 $32.17

$38.51 €34.49

-16.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$106 €94.8

12.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$120 €107

12.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 $1,937

$1,699 €1,522

14.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 $1,427

$1,355 €1,214

5.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 $2,639

$2,603 €2,331

1.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$2,062 €1,847

5.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,869 $2,869

$6,915 €6,193

-58.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,638 $2,638

$5,128 €4,592

-48.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,077 $6,077

$2,211 €1,980

174.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

3.28

95.73%

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

Last update for Cary, NC: 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

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.7%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 5% $72

Groceries & Markets

Cary, NC

$486 16.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 33.8% $164

Eating Out

Cary, NC

$301 10.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 11% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cary, NC

$300 10.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 24% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Cary, NC

$158 5.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cary, NC

$107 3.7%

Barcelona

$74 3% 31.4% $34

Getting Around

Cary, NC

$91 * 3.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 46.8% $43

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 $1,937 in Cary, NC and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Cary, NC vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

13:24 1:24 PM

6 h ahead of Cary, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,987

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cary, NC Barcelona 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cary, NC
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

Cary, NC vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,871 in Cary, NC and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Cary, NC is about 2.7 times higher, 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: $1,937 in Cary, NC versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,466 in Cary, NC 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 51% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 15% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.