Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laurel, MD and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,538 in Laurel, MD, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MD
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Laurel, MD Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Laurel, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,538

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,538 in Laurel, MD versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Laurel, MD $2,538
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,254 in Laurel, MD versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Laurel, MD $4,254
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,969 in Laurel, MD versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Laurel, MD $5,969
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Laurel, MD is roughly 7% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Laurel, MD 87% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 $18.12

$17.89 €15.92

1.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 $94.9

$66.2 €58.9

43.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$13.69 €12.18

-20.96%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$3.06 €2.72

80.72%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$3.07 €2.73

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.94 €1.73

39.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 $6.82

$3.87 €3.44

76.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.80 $7.80

$4.61 €4.10

69.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.30 €1.16

-11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.10 €1.87

87.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.83 €1.62

112.02%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$4.62 €4.11

1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 $12.86

$17.36 €15.44

-25.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$9.28 €8.25

41.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 $18.67

$19.83 €17.64

-5.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.01 €2.68

103.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.03 €1.81

-25.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.65 €2.36

54.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.87 €2.55

48.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.16 €1.92

0.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.15 €1.91

28.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.47 €1.31

69.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.88 €0.79

188.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 $13.44

$6.93 €6.16

93.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.90 $15.90

$7.83 €6.96

103.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.39 €1.24

23.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.63 €2.34

20.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.00 €2.66

-39.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.44 €1.28

-4.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.67 $23.67

$33.20 €29.53

-28.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.86 €1.65

-44.09%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

-28.80%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$31.7K €28.2K

-25.05%

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

$203 $203

$183 €163

10.83%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$13.61 €12.11

397.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.5 $90.5

$32.93 €29.29

174.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 $14.46

$11.23 €9.99

28.76%

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

$1,933 $1,933

$954 €849

102.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K $35.2K

$16.6K €14.8K

111.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$86.0 €76.5

-39.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 $57.3

$39.11 €34.78

46.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 $91.4

$104 €92.2

-11.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$119 €106

-4.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 $1,352

$1,695 €1,508

-20.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 $1,260

$1,276 €1,135

-1.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,399 $2,399

$2,576 €2,291

-6.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,073 $3,073

$1,922 €1,710

59.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,215 $2,215

$7,281 €6,477

-69.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,568 $2,568

$5,010 €4,456

-48.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,478 $5,478

$2,227 €1,981

145.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

3.28

104.88%

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

Last update for Laurel, MD: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Laurel, MD

$1.3K 49.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 1.3% $17

Groceries & Markets

Laurel, MD

$422 16.6%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 22.9% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laurel, MD

$361 14.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 36.4% $131

Eating Out

Laurel, MD

$317 12.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 14.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Laurel, MD

$141 5.6%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 10.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Laurel, MD

$29 * 1.1%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 167% $48

Getting Around

Laurel, MD

$8.8 * 0.3%

Barcelona

$47 2% 441% $39

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 $1,352 in Laurel, MD and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Laurel, MD pays 146% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $95.0 in Laurel, MD vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laurel, MD

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

6 h ahead of Laurel, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,540

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Laurel, MD Barcelona 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Laurel, MD
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

Laurel, MD vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laurel, MD and Barcelona differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,538 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 146% higher in Laurel, MD, 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: $1,352 in Laurel, MD versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,933 in Laurel, MD versus $954 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 $66.0 versus $95.0 in Laurel, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,381 in Barcelona versus $2,538 in Laurel, MD, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Laurel, MD. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelona 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, Laurel, MD 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Laurel, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.