Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Lee, NJ and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Fort Lee, NJ
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Fort Lee, NJ Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Fort Lee, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,894

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Fort Lee, NJ $3,894
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,154 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Fort Lee, NJ $6,154
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,415 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Fort Lee, NJ $8,415
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Fort Lee, NJ is roughly 59% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort Lee, NJ 186% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$17.59 €15.80

42.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$67.5 €60.6

20.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 $10.95

$13.53 €12.15

-19.07%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$3.19 €2.87

67.71%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$2.91 €2.62

-24.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.89 €1.70

-19.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$4.01 €3.60

103.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.53 €4.07

77.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.31 €1.17

1.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.02 €1.81

90.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.85 €1.66

267.03%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$4.83 €4.34

-4.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 $12.55

$16.74 €15.03

-25.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 $11.86

$9.12 €8.19

30.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.50 $17.50

$19.64 €17.64

-10.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.98 €2.68

82.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.02 €1.81

-12.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$2.70 €2.43

132.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.80 €2.52

93.57%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.09 €1.87

94.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.07 €1.86

89.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.46 €1.31

98.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.94 €0.84

190.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$6.87 €6.17

71.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$7.89 €7.08

50.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.41 €1.26

21.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.54 €2.28

-20.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.14 €2.82

-13.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 $135

$25.45 €22.86

429.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.99 €2.69

0.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.49 €1.34

40.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$33.37 €29.98

-27.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.80 €1.61

-52.22%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.2K €29.8K

-16.87%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$31.7K €28.5K

-16.54%

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

$215 $215

$180 €162

19.37%

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

$75.8 $75.8

$13.84 €12.43

447.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$33.70 €30.27

90.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$127 $127

$51.5 €46.27

146.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$10.99 €9.88

32.39%

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

$2,027 $2,027

$917 €823

121.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

44.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.93 $41.93

$87.0 €78.2

-51.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 $57.6

$38.51 €34.59

49.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 $77.6

$106 €95.1

-26.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 $84.5

$120 €108

-29.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,927 $2,927

$1,699 €1,527

72.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,299 $2,299

$1,355 €1,217

69.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,548 $6,548

$2,603 €2,338

151.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,918 $4,918

$2,062 €1,853

138.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,299 $4,299

$6,915 €6,211

-37.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,727 $3,727

$5,128 €4,606

-27.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,606 $6,606

$2,211 €1,986

198.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.28

105.79%

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

Last update for Fort Lee, NJ: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Lee, NJ

$2.3K 59%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 41% $943

Groceries & Markets

Fort Lee, NJ

$438 11.2%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 26.5% $116

Eating Out

Fort Lee, NJ

$369 9.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 27.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Lee, NJ

$355 9.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 35.8% $127

Getting Around

Fort Lee, NJ

$159 4.1%

Barcelona

$48 2% 69.5% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Lee, NJ

$156 4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 52.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Lee, NJ

$118 3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 34.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Lee, NJ pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Fort Lee, NJ vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Lee, NJ

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

15:25 3:25 PM

5 h ahead of Fort Lee, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,008

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Fort Lee, NJ Barcelona 6,160 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Lee, 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

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

Fort Lee, NJ and Barcelona differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($3,894 vs $2,453 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Fort Lee, NJ is about 3 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: $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,027 in Fort Lee, NJ 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 36% higher in Fort Lee, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Fort Lee, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, Fort Lee, 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 37% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.