Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, NC and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Jacksonville, NC despite lower rent and utilities.

123

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
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Jacksonville, NC Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Jacksonville, NC $2,554
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,595 in Jacksonville, NC versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Jacksonville, NC $3,595
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,637 in Jacksonville, NC versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Jacksonville, NC $4,637
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Jacksonville, NC is roughly 4% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jacksonville, NC 88% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.57 $15.57

$17.59 €15.80

-11.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 $58.9

$67.5 €60.6

-12.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 $9.89

$13.53 €12.15

-26.90%

Cappuccino

$4.81 $4.81

$3.19 €2.87

50.78%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$2.91 €2.62

-12.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.89 €1.70

4.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.94 $4.94

$4.01 €3.60

23.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 $7.06

$4.53 €4.07

55.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.31 €1.17

-10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.02 €1.81

108.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$1.85 €1.66

498.92%

Eggs

$6.04 $6.04

$4.83 €4.34

25.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 $19.50

$16.74 €15.03

16.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$9.12 €8.19

87.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.53 $24.53

$19.64 €17.64

24.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$2.98 €2.68

96.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.02 €1.81

-7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.23 $8.23

$2.70 €2.43

204.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.80 €2.52

120.36%

Potato (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$2.09 €1.87

229.19%

Onion (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.07 €1.86

93.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.46 €1.31

89.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.94 €0.84

117.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.96 $8.96

$6.87 €6.17

30.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$7.89 €7.08

90.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.41 €1.26

24.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.54 €2.28

55.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.14 €2.82

-51.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 $90.4

$25.45 €22.86

255.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.99 €2.69

-15.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.98

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.80 €1.61

-49.44%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$33.2K €29.8K

-17.52%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$31.7K €28.5K

-18.92%

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

$174 $174

$180 €162

-3.56%

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

$76.0 $76.0

$13.84 €12.43

449.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$33.70 €30.27

111.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.20 $31.20

$51.5 €46.27

-39.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.71 $1.71

$15.96 €14.34

-89.29%

Cinema Ticket

$15.59 $15.59

$10.99 €9.88

41.86%

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

$796 $796

$917 €823

-13.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 $60.9

$87.0 €78.2

-30.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 $39.56

$38.51 €34.59

2.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$106 €95.1

-2.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$120 €108

15.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 $1,384

$1,699 €1,527

-18.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 $1,094

$1,355 €1,217

-19.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 $1,809

$2,603 €2,338

-30.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$2,062 €1,853

-29.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,049 $2,049

$6,915 €6,211

-70.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 $1,833

$5,128 €4,606

-64.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,208 $2,208

$2,211 €1,986

-0.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

3.28

94.21%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 42.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 23.9% $262

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, NC

$555 21.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 42% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, NC

$321 12.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 29% $93

Eating Out

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 2.7% $4.2

Getting Around

Jacksonville, NC

$99 * 3.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 51.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 17.8% $11

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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $59 in Jacksonville, NC vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $555 vs $322, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

02:03 2:03 AM

5 h ahead of Jacksonville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Jacksonville, NC Barcelona 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Jacksonville, NC
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

Jacksonville, NC vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,831 in Jacksonville, NC and $3,679 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $796 in Jacksonville, NC 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 72% higher in Jacksonville, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barcelona gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.