Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, CA
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Long Beach, CA Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,185

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,185 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Long Beach, CA $3,185
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,857 in Long Beach, CA versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Long Beach, CA $4,857
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,529 in Long Beach, CA versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Long Beach, CA $6,529
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Long Beach, CA is roughly 34% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Long Beach, CA 135% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$17.89 €15.92

9.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$66.2 €58.9

18.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.48 $14.48

$13.69 €12.18

5.77%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$3.06 €2.72

101.63%

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

$3.27 $3.27

$3.07 €2.73

6.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.94 €1.73

27.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.46 $7.46

$3.87 €3.44

92.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 $9.70

$4.61 €4.10

110.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.30 €1.16

-19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.10 €1.87

96.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.83 €1.62

154.10%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$4.62 €4.11

0.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$17.36 €15.44

-24.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$9.28 €8.25

53.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$19.83 €17.64

-23.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.01 €2.68

57.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.03 €1.81

-17.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.65 €2.36

81.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.87 €2.55

68.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.16 €1.92

60.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.15 €1.91

4.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.47 €1.31

38.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.88 €0.79

107.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$6.93 €6.16

66.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$7.83 €6.96

92.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.39 €1.24

38.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.63 €2.34

25.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.91 €2.59

-39.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 $68.9

$25.46 €22.64

170.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.00 €2.66

-2.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.44 €1.28

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.25 $28.25

$33.20 €29.53

-14.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.86 €1.65

-17.20%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$32.3K €28.8K

-11.82%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

-18.09%

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

$169 $169

$183 €163

-7.70%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$13.61 €12.11

386.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$32.93 €29.29

83.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.49 $39.49

$54.7 €48.65

-27.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 $14.84

$11.23 €9.99

32.15%

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

$1,912 $1,912

$954 €849

100.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K $36.2K

$16.6K €14.8K

117.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$86.0 €76.5

-32.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$39.11 €34.78

2.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 $93.9

$104 €92.2

-9.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$119 €106

19.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,695 €1,508

21.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 $1,813

$1,276 €1,135

42.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,672 $3,672

$2,576 €2,291

42.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,462 $3,462

$1,922 €1,710

80.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,440 $7,440

$7,281 €6,477

2.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,677 $6,677

$5,010 €4,456

33.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,419 $4,419

$2,227 €1,981

98.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.28

94.82%

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

Last update for Long Beach, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 56.9%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 29.6% $536

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, CA

$414 13%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 21.4% $89

Eating Out

Long Beach, CA

$355 11.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 24% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, CA

$295 9.3%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 22.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.7%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 3.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Long Beach, CA

$89 2.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 47% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, CA

$69 2.2%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 11.6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,057 in Long Beach, CA and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Beach, CA pays 98% 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: $79.0 in Long Beach, CA vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

00:38 12:38 AM

9 h ahead of Long Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

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

Long Beach, CA Barcelona 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Beach, CA
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

Long Beach, CA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Long Beach, CA and Barcelona differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($3,185 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 98% higher in Long Beach, CA, 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: $2,057 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,912 in Long Beach, CA versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Long Beach, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Long Beach, CA 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 34% less than in Long Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.