Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth, NJ and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth, NJ
Learn more

Elizabeth, NJ Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Elizabeth, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,186

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Elizabeth, NJ $3,186
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,453 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Elizabeth, NJ $4,453
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,720 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Elizabeth, NJ $5,720
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Elizabeth, NJ is roughly 34% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Elizabeth, NJ 135% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.71 $19.71

$17.89 €15.92

10.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 $80.4

$66.2 €58.9

21.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 $11.89

$13.69 €12.18

-13.15%

Cappuccino

$5.45 $5.45

$3.06 €2.72

78.10%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$3.07 €2.73

-20.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.94 €1.73

-23.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 $7.78

$3.87 €3.44

101.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.61 €4.10

55.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.30 €1.16

-2.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.10 €1.87

114.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$1.83 €1.62

225.68%

Eggs

$6.52 $6.52

$4.62 €4.11

41.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$17.36 €15.44

-11.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.83 $11.83

$9.28 €8.25

27.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.73 $19.73

$19.83 €17.64

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.01 €2.68

97.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.03 €1.81

74.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.65 €2.36

58.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.87 €2.55

88.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.16 €1.92

38.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.15 €1.91

37.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.47 €1.31

104.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.88 €0.79

186.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.62 $14.62

$6.93 €6.16

110.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$7.83 €6.96

95.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.39 €1.24

94.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.63 €2.34

29.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.91 €2.59

-1.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 $76.0

$25.46 €22.64

198.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.00 €2.66

-2.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.44 €1.28

46.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.39 $42.39

$33.20 €29.53

27.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.86 €1.65

-41.40%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-13.60%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$31.7K €28.2K

-17.06%

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

$247 $247

$183 €163

35.35%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$13.61 €12.11

274.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 $50.1

$32.93 €29.29

52.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.78 $24.78

$54.7 €48.65

-54.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$20.03 $20.03

$11.23 €9.99

78.36%

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

$2,012 $2,012

$954 €849

110.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$16.6K €14.8K

-2.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.63 $49.63

$86.0 €76.5

-42.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.6 $77.6

$39.11 €34.78

98.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$104 €92.2

-15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$119 €106

2.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 $2,181

$1,695 €1,508

28.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 $1,718

$1,276 €1,135

34.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 $2,668

$2,576 €2,291

3.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 $2,492

$1,922 €1,710

29.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,297 $1,297

$7,281 €6,477

-82.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 $1,143

$5,010 €4,456

-77.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,997 $3,997

$2,227 €1,981

79.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

3.28

103.35%

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

Last update for Elizabeth, NJ: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elizabeth, NJ

$1.7K 53.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 25.7% $441

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth, NJ

$475 14.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 31.6% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth, NJ

$348 10.9%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 34.2% $119

Eating Out

Elizabeth, NJ

$328 10.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 17.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth, NJ

$152 4.8%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 3.2% $4.8

Getting Around

Elizabeth, NJ

$101 3.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 53.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth, NJ

$65 2%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 19% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,181 in Elizabeth, NJ and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elizabeth, NJ pays 79% 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: $80.0 in Elizabeth, NJ vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth, NJ

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

6 h ahead of Elizabeth, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,179

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Elizabeth, NJ Barcelona 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth, NJ
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

Elizabeth, NJ vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elizabeth, NJ and Barcelona differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($3,186 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% higher in Elizabeth, NJ, 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: $2,181 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,012 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Elizabeth, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Elizabeth, NJ 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 34% less than in Elizabeth, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.