Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Federal Way, WA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $3,324 in Federal Way, WA, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Federal Way, WA
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Federal Way, WA Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Federal Way, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,324

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,324 in Federal Way, WA versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Federal Way, WA $3,324
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,324 in Federal Way, WA versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Federal Way, WA $4,324
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,324 in Federal Way, WA versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Federal Way, WA $5,324
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Federal Way, WA is roughly 39% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Federal Way, WA 146% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.74 $24.74

$17.94 €15.96

37.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 $76.1

$68.1 €60.5

11.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 $12.56

$13.28 €11.81

-5.42%

Cappuccino

$5.82 $5.82

$3.25 €2.89

79.08%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$3.01 €2.67

-2.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.87 €1.66

-10.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.06 $7.06

$3.85 €3.42

83.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.48 €3.98

58.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.29 €1.15

-15.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.04 €1.81

99.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.72 €1.53

77.33%

Eggs

$5.09 $5.09

$4.77 €4.24

6.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$16.77 €14.92

-3.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 $10.51

$8.93 €7.94

17.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.36 $19.36

$19.88 €17.68

-2.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.98 €2.65

72.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.03 €1.80

-22.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.73 €2.43

57.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.68 €2.38

73.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.10 €1.87

28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.08 €1.85

14.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.45 €1.29

53.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$0.89 €0.79

193.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.08 $13.08

$6.94 €6.17

88.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$7.78 €6.92

95.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.45 €1.29

17.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.57 €2.29

88.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.99 €2.66

-11.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.20 €22.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.12 €2.77

-15.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.44 €1.28

15.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 $29.83

$33.50 €29.80

-10.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.79 €1.59

-26.26%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

5.14%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

-14.54%

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

$157 $157

$178 €158

-11.49%

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

$76.9 $76.9

$13.32 €11.85

477.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.0 $88.0

$34.88 €31.03

152.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.95 $12.95

$53.3 €47.37

-75.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$11.06 €9.84

6.60%

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

$1,446 $1,446

$957 €851

51.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K $32.2K

$16.6K €14.7K

94.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.83 $45.83

$88.2 €78.4

-48.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.65 $44.65

$39.49 €35.12

13.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 $84.4

$103 €91.5

-17.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$121 €108

-17.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,017 $2,017

$1,653 €1,470

22.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,025 $2,025

$1,302 €1,158

55.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,773 $2,773

$2,557 €2,275

8.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 $2,419

$1,915 €1,703

26.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,286 €6,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,519

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,440 $4,440

$2,281 €2,029

94.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.28

102.44%

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

Last update for Federal Way, WA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Federal Way, WA

$2K 60.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 35.7% $724

Groceries & Markets

Federal Way, WA

$421 12.7%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 23.9% $101

Eating Out

Federal Way, WA

$373 11.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 27.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Federal Way, WA

$322 9.7%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 29.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Federal Way, WA

$124 3.7%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 27.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Federal Way, WA

$37 1.1%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 106% $39

Getting Around

Federal Way, WA

$22 * 0.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 120% $26

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 $2,017 in Federal Way, WA and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Federal Way, WA pays 95% 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: $76.0 in Federal Way, WA vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Federal Way, WA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

06:20 6:20 AM

9 h ahead of Federal Way, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,030

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

Federal Way, WA Barcelona 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Federal Way, WA
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

Federal Way, WA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Federal Way, WA and Barcelona differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($3,324 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 95% higher in Federal Way, WA, 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: $2,017 in Federal Way, WA versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,446 in Federal Way, WA versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $76.0 in Federal Way, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Federal Way, WA 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 39% less than in Federal Way, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.