Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dayton, OH and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Dayton, OH: $2,214 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Dayton, OH
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Dayton, OH Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Dayton, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,214

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,214 in Dayton, OH versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Dayton, OH $2,214
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,280 in Dayton, OH versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Dayton, OH $3,280
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,345 in Dayton, OH versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Dayton, OH $4,345
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Dayton, OH costs roughly 7% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dayton, OH 63% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.47 $14.47

$17.89 €15.92

-19.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 $71.1

$66.2 €58.9

7.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 $9.90

$13.69 €12.18

-27.68%

Cappuccino

$4.25 $4.25

$3.06 €2.72

38.89%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$3.07 €2.73

-27.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.94 €1.73

-4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.62 $4.62

$3.87 €3.44

19.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.61 €4.10

28.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.30 €1.16

-39.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.10 €1.87

29.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.83 €1.62

106.01%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$4.62 €4.11

-21.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$17.36 €15.44

-23.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.28 $24.28

$9.28 €8.25

161.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.25 $17.25

$19.83 €17.64

-13.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.01 €2.68

95.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.03 €1.81

-4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$2.65 €2.36

172.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.87 €2.55

82.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.16 €1.92

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.15 €1.91

46.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.47 €1.31

50.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.88 €0.79

215.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 $9.68

$6.93 €6.16

39.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.70 $19.70

$7.83 €6.96

151.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.39 €1.24

26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.63 €2.34

35.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.91 €2.59

38.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.33 $49.33

$25.46 €22.64

93.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.00 €2.66

69.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.44 €1.28

25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.9 $50.9

$33.20 €29.53

53.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.86 €1.65

-44.62%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$32.3K €28.8K

-14.88%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$31.7K €28.2K

-15.54%

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

$205 $205

$183 €163

11.97%

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

$50.2 $50.2

$13.61 €12.11

268.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 $59.1

$32.93 €29.29

79.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.95 $32.95

$54.7 €48.65

-39.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.30 $45.30

$16.52 €14.70

174.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$11.23 €9.99

25.91%

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

$529 $529

$954 €849

-44.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,520 $6,520

$16.6K €14.8K

-60.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 $39.13

$86.0 €76.5

-54.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.07 $47.07

$39.11 €34.78

20.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.4 $70.4

$104 €92.2

-32.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$119 €106

3.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 $1,194

$1,695 €1,508

-29.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 $901

$1,276 €1,135

-29.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,597 $1,597

$2,576 €2,291

-38.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 $1,398

$1,922 €1,710

-27.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,451 $1,451

$5,010 €4,456

-71.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,416 $3,416

$2,227 €1,981

53.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

3.28

105.49%

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

Last update for Dayton, OH: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dayton, OH

$901 40.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 41.7% $376

Groceries & Markets

Dayton, OH

$486 21.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 33.1% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dayton, OH

$314 14.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 27% $85

Eating Out

Dayton, OH

$248 11.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 8.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Dayton, OH

$126 5.7%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 24.6% $31

Getting Around

Dayton, OH

$80 3.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 40.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Dayton, OH

$61 2.8%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 26% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,194 in Dayton, OH and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dayton, OH pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Dayton, OH vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dayton, OH

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

6 h ahead of Dayton, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,771

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dayton, OH Barcelona 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dayton, OH
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

Dayton, OH vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dayton, OH and Barcelona differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,214 vs $2,381 including rent). Dayton, OH is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Dayton, OH, 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: $1,194 in Dayton, OH versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $529 in Dayton, OH versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 49% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,214 in Dayton, OH versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dayton, OH but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Dayton, OH 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, Dayton, OH 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 Dayton, OH gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.