Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islip, NY and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Islip, NY: $1,259 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,259

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,259 in Islip, NY versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Islip, NY $1,259
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,207 in Islip, NY versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Islip, NY $2,207
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Islip, NY versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Islip, NY $3,154
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Islip, NY costs roughly 49% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Islip, NY is 7% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.10 $26.10

$17.59 €15.80

48.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$67.5 €60.6

81.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.05 $14.05

$13.53 €12.15

3.84%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.19 €2.87

61.13%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$2.91 €2.62

-2.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.89 €1.70

20.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$4.01 €3.60

93.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 $10.17

$4.53 €4.07

124.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.31 €1.17

6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.02 €1.81

124.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.85 €1.66

118.92%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$4.83 €4.34

3.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$16.74 €15.03

11.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.41 $17.41

$9.12 €8.19

90.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$19.64 €17.64

-16.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.98 €2.68

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$2.02 €1.81

-36.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.70 €2.43

-19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.80 €2.52

3.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.09 €1.87

-14.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.07 €1.86

4.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.46 €1.31

4.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$0.94 €0.84

17.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.94 $14.94

$6.87 €6.17

117.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.96 $12.96

$7.89 €7.08

64.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.41 €1.26

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.54 €2.28

48.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.14 €2.82

39.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.99 €2.69

-0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.49 €1.34

47.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.26 $41.26

$33.37 €29.98

23.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.80 €1.61

-35.00%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.2K €29.8K

-15.81%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$31.7K €28.5K

-15.88%

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

$80.2 $80.2

$180 €162

-55.57%

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

$71.2 $71.2

$13.84 €12.43

414.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$33.70 €30.27

107.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 $59.6

$51.5 €46.27

15.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$15.83 $15.83

$10.99 €9.88

44.04%

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

$3,537 $3,537

$917 €823

285.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.6K $61.6K

$16.5K €14.8K

273.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 $44.55

$87.0 €78.2

-48.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.92 $27.92

$38.51 €34.59

-27.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 $75.0

$106 €95.1

-29.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 $91.4

$120 €108

-23.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 $1,989

$1,699 €1,527

17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,217

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,382 $3,382

$2,603 €2,338

29.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,975 $3,975

$2,211 €1,986

79.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

3.28

102.13%

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

Last update for Islip, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Islip, NY

$416 33%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 22.5% $94

Eating Out

Islip, NY

$392 31.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 31.7% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islip, NY

$221 17.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 3.1% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Islip, NY

$107 8.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 47% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Islip, NY

$91 7.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 19.5% $18

Getting Around

Islip, NY

$31 * 2.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 54.1% $17

Accommodation & Living

Islip, NY

- * 0%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

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 $1,989 in Islip, NY and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $122 in Islip, NY vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $416 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

14:19 2:19 PM

5 h ahead of Islip, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,938

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

On the map

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Between locations

Islip, NY Barcelona 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Islip, NY
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

Islip, NY vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islip, NY and Barcelona differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($1,259 vs $2,453 including rent). Islip, NY is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Islip, NY, 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: $1,989 in Islip, NY versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,537 in Islip, NY versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $122 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,259 in Islip, NY versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Islip, NY but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Islip, NY 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.