Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ithaca, NY and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,893 in Ithaca, NY, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

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

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ithaca, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,893

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,893 in Ithaca, NY versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Ithaca, NY $2,893
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,843 in Ithaca, NY versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Ithaca, NY $3,843
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,792 in Ithaca, NY versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Ithaca, NY $4,792
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Ithaca, NY is roughly 18% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ithaca, NY 113% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 $22.77

$17.59 €15.76

29.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$67.5 €60.5

17.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$13.53 €12.12

-19.96%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$3.19 €2.86

59.56%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$2.91 €2.61

-9.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.89 €1.70

7.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$4.01 €3.59

26.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.39 $9.39

$4.53 €4.06

107.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.31 €1.17

-22.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.02 €1.81

58.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$1.85 €1.66

283.24%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$4.83 €4.33

-18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.66 $14.66

$16.74 €15.00

-12.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$9.12 €8.17

-28.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 $15.45

$19.64 €17.60

-21.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.98 €2.67

62.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.02 €1.81

-16.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.70 €2.42

101.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.80 €2.51

72.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.09 €1.87

50.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.07 €1.85

79.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.46 €1.31

56.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.94 €0.84

119.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.69 $14.69

$6.87 €6.16

113.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 $14.20

$7.89 €7.07

79.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.41 €1.26

31.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.54 €2.27

57.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.14 €2.82

-50.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.49 $45.49

$25.45 €22.80

78.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.99 €2.68

66.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.49 €1.34

-4.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$33.37 €29.91

-11.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.80 €1.61

-41.11%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.2K €29.7K

-18.20%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$31.7K €28.4K

-16.07%

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

$167 $167

$180 €162

-7.38%

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

$46.41 $46.41

$13.84 €12.40

235.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 $50.5

$33.70 €30.20

49.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.65 $34.65

$51.5 €46.16

-32.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 $10.82

$10.99 €9.85

-1.55%

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

$1,518 $1,518

$917 €821

65.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$16.5K €14.8K

2.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.25 $47.25

$87.0 €78.0

-45.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.06 $39.06

$38.51 €34.51

1.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$106 €94.8

-23.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$120 €107

-10.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$1,699 €1,523

32.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 $1,661

$1,355 €1,214

22.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 $3,044

$2,603 €2,332

16.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,997 $1,997

$2,062 €1,848

-3.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 $2,681

$6,915 €6,196

-61.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,035 $2,035

$5,128 €4,595

-60.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,468 $3,468

$2,211 €1,981

56.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

3.28

96.95%

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

Last update for Ithaca, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ithaca, NY

$1.7K 57.4%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 18.4% $306

Groceries & Markets

Ithaca, NY

$386 13.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 16.6% $64

Eating Out

Ithaca, NY

$339 11.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 20.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ithaca, NY

$264 9.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 13.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Ithaca, NY

$124 4.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 27.9% $34

Getting Around

Ithaca, NY

$64 2.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 23.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ithaca, NY

$56 2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 30.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,256 in Ithaca, NY and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ithaca, NY pays 57% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Ithaca, NY vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ithaca, NY

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

5 h ahead of Ithaca, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,283

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ithaca, NY Barcelona 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ithaca, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,893 in Ithaca, NY and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Ithaca, 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: $2,256 in Ithaca, NY versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,518 in Ithaca, NY versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Ithaca, NY. 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, Ithaca, NY 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 15% less than in Ithaca, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.