Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Forks, ND and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Grand Forks, ND: $2,035 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Grand Forks, ND
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Grand Forks, ND Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Grand Forks, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,035

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,035 in Grand Forks, ND versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Grand Forks, ND $2,035
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,968 in Grand Forks, ND versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Grand Forks, ND $2,968
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,901 in Grand Forks, ND versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Grand Forks, ND $3,901
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Grand Forks, ND costs roughly 15% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Grand Forks, ND 50% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.31 $21.31

$17.89 €15.92

19.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 $81.5

$66.2 €58.9

23.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.11 $13.11

$13.69 €12.18

-4.24%

Cappuccino

$6.13 $6.13

$3.06 €2.72

100.33%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$3.07 €2.73

-8.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.94 €1.73

52.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.87 €3.44

25.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 $5.96

$4.61 €4.10

29.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.30 €1.16

-13.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.10 €1.87

72.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.83 €1.62

144.81%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$4.62 €4.11

-20.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.28 $24.28

$17.36 €15.44

39.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.03 €1.81

-2.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.65 €2.36

67.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.87 €2.55

13.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.16 €1.92

2.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.15 €1.91

32.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.47 €1.31

51.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.88 €0.79

131.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$6.93 €6.16

45.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$35.08 $35.08

$7.83 €6.96

348.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 $6.08

$2.63 €2.34

131.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.91 €2.59

-48.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.18 $41.18

$25.46 €22.64

61.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.00 €2.66

101.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.86 €1.65

-52.69%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

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

$31.7K €28.2K

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

$217 $217

$183 €163

18.61%

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

$115 $115

$13.61 €12.11

742.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$32.93 €29.29

120.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 $62.9

$54.7 €48.65

14.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 $15.04

$11.23 €9.99

33.93%

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

$586 $586

$954 €849

-38.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 $975

$1,695 €1,508

-42.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 $815

$1,276 €1,135

-36.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 $1,564

$2,576 €2,291

-39.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$1,922 €1,710

-32.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,664 $1,664

$7,281 €6,477

-77.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,682 $1,682

$5,010 €4,456

-66.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,125 $4,125

$2,227 €1,981

85.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.28

107.93%

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

Last update for Grand Forks, ND: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grand Forks, ND

$815 40.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 56.5% $461

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Forks, ND

$404 19.9%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 43.3% $175

Eating Out

Grand Forks, ND

$343 16.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 21.4% $73

Groceries & Markets

Grand Forks, ND

$327 * 16.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 0.6% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Forks, ND

$93 4.6%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 17% $16

Getting Around

Grand Forks, ND

$53 * 2.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 11% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Forks, ND

- * 0%

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

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 $975 in Grand Forks, ND and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grand Forks, ND pays 85% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Grand Forks, ND vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Grand Forks, ND

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

12:53 12:53 PM

7 h ahead of Grand Forks, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,372

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Grand Forks, ND Barcelona 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Grand Forks, ND
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

Grand Forks, ND vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grand Forks, ND and Barcelona differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,035 vs $2,381 including rent). Grand Forks, ND is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Grand Forks, ND, 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: $975 in Grand Forks, ND versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $586 in Grand Forks, ND versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,035 in Grand Forks, ND versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Grand Forks, ND but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Grand Forks, ND 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, Grand Forks, ND 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 Grand Forks, ND gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.