Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gloucester, MA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,837 in Gloucester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Gloucester, MA
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Gloucester, MA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Gloucester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,837

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,837 in Gloucester, MA versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Gloucester, MA $2,837
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,132 in Gloucester, MA versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Gloucester, MA $4,132
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,426 in Gloucester, MA versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Gloucester, MA $5,426
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Gloucester, MA is roughly 16% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gloucester, MA 110% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.07 $19.07

$17.66 €15.77

7.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 $72.6

$67.5 €60.3

7.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 $11.23

$13.61 €12.16

-17.49%

Cappuccino

$4.62 $4.62

$3.10 €2.77

49.03%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$3.00 €2.68

-22.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.93 €1.72

3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 $6.60

$3.84 €3.43

71.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 $6.86

$4.36 €3.89

57.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.25 €1.11

-19.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.12 €1.90

66.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.97 €1.76

116.24%

Eggs

$4.07 $4.07

$4.76 €4.25

-14.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 $12.32

$17.07 €15.24

-27.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.76 $11.76

$8.96 €8.00

31.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$20.65 €18.44

-16.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.16 €2.82

59.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.97 €1.76

-14.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.65 €2.37

65.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.88 €2.58

64.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.06 €1.84

35.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.18 €1.95

31.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.53 €1.37

43.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.97 €0.87

127.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.23 $10.23

$6.97 €6.22

46.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$7.89 €7.05

87.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.42 €1.26

45.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.69 €2.40

35.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.31 €2.96

-38.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$25.61 €22.87

130.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.08 €2.75

13.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.48 €1.32

33.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 $34.18

$32.87 €29.36

3.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.87 €1.67

-40.11%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$33.0K €29.4K

-7.01%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$31.9K €28.5K

-7.23%

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

$198 $198

$183 €163

8.33%

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

$58.8 $58.8

$14.24 €12.72

313.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 $70.8

$34.56 €30.87

104.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.79 $40.79

$51.4 €45.93

-20.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.04 $13.04

$11.06 €9.88

17.90%

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

$1,307 $1,307

$944 €843

38.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K $18.5K

$22.3K €19.9K

-16.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$87.7 €78.3

-38.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.76 $41.76

$38.77 €34.63

7.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 $148

$105 €93.4

41.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$118 €105

-4.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 $1,761

$1,697 €1,516

3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 $1,496

$1,337 €1,194

11.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,041 $3,041

$2,692 €2,405

12.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$2,077 €1,855

19.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,715 $2,715

$7,155 €6,391

-62.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,439 $2,439

$5,079 €4,537

-51.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,429 $2,429

$2,241 €2,002

8.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

3.19

106.58%

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

Last update for Gloucester, MA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gloucester, MA

$1.5K 52.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 10.7% $159

Groceries & Markets

Gloucester, MA

$399 14.1%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 17.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gloucester, MA

$328 11.6%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 29.3% $96

Eating Out

Gloucester, MA

$306 10.8%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 12.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Gloucester, MA

$161 5.7%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 2.3% $3.6

Getting Around

Gloucester, MA

$81 2.8%

Barcelona

$49 2% 38.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Gloucester, MA

$67 2.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 10% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,761 in Gloucester, MA and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gloucester, MA pays 8% 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: $73 in Gloucester, MA vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $328 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Gloucester, MA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

17:28 5:28 PM

6 h ahead of Gloucester, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,729

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gloucester, MA Barcelona 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Gloucester, MA
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

Gloucester, MA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,837 in Gloucester, MA and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Gloucester, MA, 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: $1,761 in Gloucester, MA versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,307 in Gloucester, MA versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Gloucester, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Gloucester, MA and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Gloucester, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.