Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hay River, NT and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Hay River, NT: $2,228 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Hay River, NT
Learn more

Hay River, NT Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Hay River, NT

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,228

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,228 in Hay River, NT versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Hay River, NT $2,228
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,228 in Hay River, NT versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Hay River, NT $3,228
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,227 in Hay River, NT versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Hay River, NT $4,227
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Hay River, NT costs roughly 6% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hay River, NT 64% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 CA$25.11

$17.89 €15.92

-0.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 CA$91.1

$66.2 €58.9

-2.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 CA$14.67

$13.69 €12.18

-24.18%

Cappuccino

$3.54 CA$5.01

$3.06 €2.72

15.69%

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

$2.03 CA$2.87

$3.07 €2.73

-33.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.94 €1.73

-17.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.28 CA$7.46

$3.87 €3.44

36.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 CA$8.01

$4.61 €4.10

22.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$1.30 €1.16

53.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$2.10 €1.87

19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CA$4.63

$1.83 €1.62

79.23%

Eggs

$3.44 CA$4.86

$4.62 €4.11

-25.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 CA$14.19

$17.36 €15.44

-42.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$9.28 €8.25

22.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.79 CA$20.91

$19.83 €17.64

-25.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.24

$3.01 €2.68

23.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.87

$2.03 €1.81

-34.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$2.65 €2.36

41.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.35

$2.87 €2.55

32.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$2.16 €1.92

13.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 CA$3.17

$2.15 €1.91

4.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$1.47 €1.31

64.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$0.88 €0.79

84.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 CA$20.03

$6.93 €6.16

104.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 CA$18.05

$7.83 €6.96

63.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.39 €1.24

89.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$2.63 €2.34

17.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 CA$3.20

$2.91 €2.59

-22.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 CA$87.7

$25.46 €22.64

143.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.95

$3.00 €2.66

-7.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$1.44 €1.28

1.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.83

$33.20 €29.53

-32.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.62

$1.86 €1.65

-38.17%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$32.3K €28.8K

-13.44%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$31.7K €28.2K

-39.61%

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

$131 CA$186

$183 €163

-28.08%

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

$37.62 CA$53.2

$13.61 €12.11

176.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.4

$32.93 €29.29

59.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.43 CA$57.2

$54.7 €48.65

-26.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 CA$25.45

$16.52 €14.70

8.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.35

$11.23 €9.99

-3.29%

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

$760 CA$1,074

$954 €849

-20.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.5K

$16.6K €14.8K

-21.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.4

$86.0 €76.5

-38.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.34 CA$54.2

$39.11 €34.78

-1.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 CA$119

$104 €92.2

-19.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CA$147

$119 €106

-12.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,597

$1,695 €1,508

-33.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CA$1,584

$1,276 €1,135

-12.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 CA$2,725

$2,576 €2,291

-25.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 CA$2,426

$1,922 €1,710

-10.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,164 CA$5,887

$7,281 €6,477

-42.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,582 CA$5,065

$5,010 €4,456

-28.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,273 CA$6,041

$2,227 €1,981

91.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

3.28

42.07%

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

Last update for Hay River, NT: 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

Hay River, NT

$1.1K 50.3%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 13.9% $156

Groceries & Markets

Hay River, NT

$349 15.7%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 7% $24

Eating Out

Hay River, NT

$268 12%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 0.6% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hay River, NT

$222 10%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 3.4% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Hay River, NT

$125 5.6%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 24.7% $31

Getting Around

Hay River, NT

$81 3.7%

Barcelona

$47 2% 41.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Hay River, NT

$62 2.8%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 24.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,130 in Hay River, NT and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hay River, NT pays 92% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Hay River, NT vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hay River, NT

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

16:20 4:20 PM

8 h ahead of Hay River, NT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,600

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hay River, NT Barcelona 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Hay River, NT
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

Hay River, NT vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hay River, NT and Barcelona differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,228 vs $2,381 including rent). Hay River, NT is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 92% higher in Hay River, NT, 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: $1,130 in Hay River, NT versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $760 in Hay River, NT 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 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,228 in Hay River, NT versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hay River, NT but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Hay River, NT 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, Hay River, NT 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 Hay River, NT gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.