Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fredrikstad and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,983 in Fredrikstad, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. The total is higher in Fredrikstad despite lower rent and utilities.

144

Cost of Living Index in Fredrikstad
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Fredrikstad Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Fredrikstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,983

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,983 in Fredrikstad versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Fredrikstad $2,983
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,345 in Fredrikstad versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Fredrikstad $4,345
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,707 in Fredrikstad versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Fredrikstad $5,707
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Fredrikstad is roughly 24% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fredrikstad 121% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.28 NOK 247

$17.94 €15.96

46.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 NOK 1,170

$68.1 €60.5

82.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.65 NOK 119

$13.28 €11.81

-4.74%

Cappuccino

$6.77 NOK 63.7

$3.25 €2.89

108.31%

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

$5.55 NOK 52.3

$3.01 €2.67

84.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 NOK 41.36

$1.87 €1.66

134.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$3.85 €3.42

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.57 NOK 90.1

$4.48 €3.98

113.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 NOK 22.00

$1.29 €1.15

81.40%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 NOK 40.56

$2.04 €1.81

111.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 NOK 32.31

$1.72 €1.53

99.42%

Eggs

$5.82 NOK 54.8

$4.77 €4.24

22.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.06 NOK 123

$16.77 €14.92

-22.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.96 NOK 169

$8.93 €7.94

101.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.38 NOK 324

$19.88 €17.68

72.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 NOK 31.71

$2.98 €2.65

13.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.64 NOK 34.24

$2.03 €1.80

79.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 NOK 40.49

$2.73 €2.43

57.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 NOK 47.06

$2.68 €2.38

86.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.74

$2.10 €1.87

25.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 NOK 25.53

$2.08 €1.85

30.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.50

$1.45 €1.29

94.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.95

$0.89 €0.79

161.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.51 NOK 146

$6.94 €6.17

123.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.16 NOK 209

$7.78 €6.92

184.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 NOK 32.81

$1.45 €1.29

140.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 NOK 41.34

$2.57 €2.29

70.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 NOK 38.71

$2.99 €2.66

37.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.5 NOK 607

$25.20 €22.41

155.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.56 NOK 118

$3.12 €2.77

302.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NOK 18.79

$1.44 €1.28

38.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.1 NOK 660

$33.50 €29.80

109.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 NOK 21.64

$1.79 €1.59

28.49%

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

$49.8K NOK 468.4K

$34.6K €30.8K

43.68%

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

$46.9K NOK 441.1K

$30.1K €26.7K

55.83%

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

$331 NOK 3,118

$178 €158

86.25%

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

$45.60 NOK 429

$13.32 €11.85

242.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 NOK 630

$34.88 €31.03

91.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 NOK 549

$53.3 €47.37

9.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.86 NOK 385

$16.01 €14.24

155.22%

Cinema Ticket

$20.19 NOK 190

$11.06 €9.84

82.55%

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

$168 NOK 1,579

$957 €851

-82.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K NOK 117.8K

$16.6K €14.7K

-24.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$155 NOK 1,459

$88.2 €78.4

75.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.7 NOK 741

$39.49 €35.12

99.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 NOK 1,358

$103 €91.5

40.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NOK 1,051

$121 €108

-8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 NOK 12.5K

$1,653 €1,470

-19.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 NOK 10.6K

$1,302 €1,158

-13.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 NOK 17.1K

$2,557 €2,275

-28.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 NOK 14.3K

$1,915 €1,703

-20.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,022 NOK 56.7K

$7,286 €6,481

-17.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,131 NOK 38.9K

$5,080 €4,519

-18.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,372 NOK 31.7K

$2,281 €2,029

47.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.95

3.28

50.91%

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

Last update for Fredrikstad: 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

Fredrikstad

$1.1K 37.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 15.1% $171

Groceries & Markets

Fredrikstad

$540 18.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 40.7% $219

Eating Out

Fredrikstad

$446 15%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 39.5% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fredrikstad

$444 14.9%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 49.1% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Fredrikstad

$220 7.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 28.1% $62

Getting Around

Fredrikstad

$103 3.5%

Barcelona

$47 2% 54.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Fredrikstad

$99 3.3%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 23.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,329 in Fredrikstad and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fredrikstad pays 48% 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: $124 in Fredrikstad vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $540 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Fredrikstad

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Fredrikstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,267

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fredrikstad Barcelona 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Fredrikstad
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

Fredrikstad vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fredrikstad and Barcelona differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,983 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 48% higher in Fredrikstad, 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: $1,329 in Fredrikstad versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $168 in Fredrikstad versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Fredrikstad. 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, Fredrikstad 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 24% less than in Fredrikstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.