Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Forest, CA and Barcelona Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Forest, CA and Barcelona

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Lake Forest, CA is 27.8% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 25% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Lake Forest, CA is 29.8% more expensive than Barcelona without rent, and 36.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Lake Forest, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.57 $24.57
$17.41 โ‚ฌ15.03
41.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 $100
$68.7 โ‚ฌ59.3
45.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.11 $10.11
$13.71 โ‚ฌ11.84
-26.26%
Cappuccino
$5.91 $5.91
$2.78 โ‚ฌ2.4
112.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 $2.72
$2.8 โ‚ฌ2.42
-2.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 $2.24
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
13.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.48 $8.48
$4.43 โ‚ฌ3.83
91.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.84 $8.84
$4.53 โ‚ฌ3.91
95.14%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Lake Forest, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.24 โ‚ฌ1.07
-
White Bread (500g)
$4.27 $4.27
$2.03 โ‚ฌ1.75
110.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.71
132.83%
Eggs
$4.47 $4.47
$3.46 โ‚ฌ2.99
29.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.47 $12.47
$18.32 โ‚ฌ15.82
-31.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.03 $17.03
$9.82 โ‚ฌ8.47
73.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.22 $19.22
$19.24 โ‚ฌ16.61
-0.10%
Apples (1kg)
$6.56 $6.56
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
151.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.9 $1.9
$2.34 โ‚ฌ2.02
-18.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.14 $4.14
$2.11 โ‚ฌ1.82
96.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.42 $5.42
$2.77 โ‚ฌ2.39
95.67%
Potato (1kg)
$3.21 $3.21
$2.04 โ‚ฌ1.76
57.35%
Onion (1kg)
$3.08 $3.08
$1.77 โ‚ฌ1.53
74.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.91 $1.91
$1.5 โ‚ฌ1.3
27.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$0.85 โ‚ฌ0.73
149.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.75 $9.75
$7 โ‚ฌ6.04
39.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.65 $19.65
$7.13 โ‚ฌ6.16
175.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 $1.76
$1.43 โ‚ฌ1.24
23.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.9 $3.9
$2.29 โ‚ฌ1.98
70.31%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Lake Forest, CA
Barcelona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.42 $3.42
$3.02 โ‚ฌ2.6
13.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.97 โ‚ฌ25.01
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 $3.04
$4.59 โ‚ฌ3.96
-33.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.68 $2.68
$2.02 โ‚ฌ1.74
32.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.53 $29.53
$29.56 โ‚ฌ25.53
-0.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 $1.29
$1.81 โ‚ฌ1.56
-28.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K $28.5K
$38.4K โ‚ฌ33.1K
-25.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K $26.5K
$32.4K โ‚ฌ28K
-18.14%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lake Forest, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 $202
$190 โ‚ฌ164
6.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.8 $54.8
$22.18 โ‚ฌ19.15
147.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.9 $71.9
$36.37 โ‚ฌ31.4
97.72%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Lake Forest, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51 $51
$57.4 โ‚ฌ49.55
-11.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$20.95 โ‚ฌ18.09
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.17 $17.17
$10.8 โ‚ฌ9.33
58.98%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Lake Forest, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,823 $1,823
$732 โ‚ฌ632
148.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.1K $24.1K
$15.1K โ‚ฌ13.1K
59.35%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Lake Forest, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.2 $62.2
$86.8 โ‚ฌ74.9
-28.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.13 $41.13
$36.78 โ‚ฌ31.76
11.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 $103
$102 โ‚ฌ88.2
0.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$150 $150
$117 โ‚ฌ101
27.92%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Lake Forest, CA
Barcelona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,433 $1,433
$1,581 โ‚ฌ1,365
-9.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,501 $1,501
$1,230 โ‚ฌ1,062
22.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,096 $3,096
$2,707 โ‚ฌ2,337
14.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,805 $2,805
$2,028 โ‚ฌ1,751
38.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,100 $8,100
$6,602 โ‚ฌ5,700
22.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,128 $7,128
$5,045 โ‚ฌ4,356
41.27%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Lake Forest, CA
Barcelona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,899 $6,899
$2,198 โ‚ฌ1,898
213.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.49
3.39
91.45%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lake Forest, CA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Barcelona: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.