Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairbanks, AK and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $3,000 in Fairbanks, AK, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Fairbanks, AK
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Fairbanks, AK Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Fairbanks, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,000

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,000 in Fairbanks, AK versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Fairbanks, AK $3,000
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,408 in Fairbanks, AK versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Fairbanks, AK $4,408
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,816 in Fairbanks, AK versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Fairbanks, AK $5,816
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Fairbanks, AK is roughly 26% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fairbanks, AK 121% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.10 $25.10

$17.89 €15.92

40.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 $99.1

$66.2 €58.9

49.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.27 $15.27

$13.69 €12.18

11.54%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$3.06 €2.72

98.37%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$3.07 €2.73

-12.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.94 €1.73

5.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.87 €3.44

76.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$4.61 €4.10

118.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.30 €1.16

-13.08%

White Bread (500g)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.10 €1.87

156.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.83 €1.62

161.20%

Eggs

$4.36 $4.36

$4.62 €4.11

-5.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.93 $21.93

$17.36 €15.44

26.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 $8.66

$9.28 €8.25

-6.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 $20.87

$19.83 €17.64

5.24%

Apples (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$3.01 €2.68

150.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.03 €1.81

6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.65 €2.36

127.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.24 $6.24

$2.87 €2.55

117.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.16 €1.92

65.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.15 €1.91

71.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.47 €1.31

89.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.88 €0.79

129.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.10 $12.10

$6.93 €6.16

74.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 $12.20

$7.83 €6.96

55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.39 €1.24

27.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.91 €2.59

-47.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.60 $40.60

$25.46 €22.64

59.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.00 €2.66

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.44 €1.28

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.97 $44.97

$33.20 €29.53

35.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.86 €1.65

-31.18%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-19.77%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$31.7K €28.2K

-22.05%

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

$212 $212

$183 €163

16.16%

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

$61.3 $61.3

$13.61 €12.11

350.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$139 $139

$32.93 €29.29

323.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.0 $98.0

$54.7 €48.65

79.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$18.10 $18.10

$11.23 €9.99

61.18%

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

$1,845 $1,845

$954 €849

93.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$86.0 €76.5

-30.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.78 $39.78

$39.11 €34.78

1.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$104 €92.2

15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$119 €106

0.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$1,695 €1,508

-4.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 $1,381

$1,276 €1,135

8.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,580 $2,580

$2,576 €2,291

0.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,230 $2,230

$1,922 €1,710

16.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,244 $2,244

$7,281 €6,477

-69.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,000 $2,000

$5,010 €4,456

-60.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,941 $3,941

$2,227 €1,981

77.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.71

3.28

104.57%

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

Last update for Fairbanks, AK: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fairbanks, AK

$1.4K 46%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 7.6% $105

Groceries & Markets

Fairbanks, AK

$466 * 15.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 30.3% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairbanks, AK

$413 13.8%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 44.5% $184

Eating Out

Fairbanks, AK

$393 13.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 31.3% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Fairbanks, AK

$152 5.1%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 2.7% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Fairbanks, AK

$134 4.5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 42.5% $57

Getting Around

Fairbanks, AK

$61 2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 22.5% $14

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 $1,612 in Fairbanks, AK and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fairbanks, AK pays 77% 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: $99.0 in Fairbanks, AK vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairbanks, AK

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

17:02 5:02 PM

10 h ahead of Fairbanks, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,515

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

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Between locations

Fairbanks, AK Barcelona 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairbanks, AK
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

Fairbanks, AK vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fairbanks, AK and Barcelona differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($3,000 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 77% higher in Fairbanks, AK, 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: $1,612 in Fairbanks, AK versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,845 in Fairbanks, AK 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 43% higher in Fairbanks, AK. 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, Fairbanks, AK 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 26% less than in Fairbanks, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.