Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Island, NY and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $4,225 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

201

Cost of Living Index in Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Long Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,225

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,225 in Long Island, NY versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Long Island, NY $4,225
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,930 in Long Island, NY versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Long Island, NY $5,930
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,634 in Long Island, NY versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Long Island, NY $7,634
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Long Island, NY is roughly 72% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Long Island, NY 210% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.14 $25.14

$17.59 €15.76

42.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$67.5 €60.5

45.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 $10.99

$13.53 €12.12

-18.77%

Cappuccino

$5.08 $5.08

$3.19 €2.86

59.25%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$2.91 €2.61

-26.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.89 €1.70

-16.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.01 €3.59

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.53 €4.06

74.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.31 €1.17

0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.02 €1.81

110.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.85 €1.66

4.86%

Eggs

$5.26 $5.26

$4.83 €4.33

8.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 $7.21

$16.74 €15.00

-56.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.89 $11.89

$9.12 €8.17

30.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$19.64 €17.60

-17.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.98 €2.67

43.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.02 €1.81

-40.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.70 €2.42

-23.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.80 €2.51

120.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.09 €1.87

-48.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.07 €1.85

5.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.46 €1.31

1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$0.94 €0.84

203.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$6.87 €6.16

72.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.58 $17.58

$7.89 €7.07

122.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.41 €1.26

24.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.54 €2.27

61.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.14 €2.82

-5.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 $130

$25.45 €22.80

409.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.99 €2.68

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.49 €1.34

34.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.41 $24.41

$33.37 €29.91

-26.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.80 €1.61

-38.33%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$33.2K €29.7K

-17.18%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

-17.11%

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

$192 $192

$180 €162

6.30%

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

$48.26 $48.26

$13.84 €12.40

248.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 $53.7

$33.70 €30.20

59.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.30 $31.30

$51.5 €46.16

-39.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$102 $102

$15.96 €14.30

538.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.69 $14.69

$10.99 €9.85

33.67%

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

$2,444 $2,444

$917 €821

166.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$16.5K €14.8K

42.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.07 $40.07

$87.0 €78.0

-53.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 $56.7

$38.51 €34.51

47.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 $76.3

$106 €94.8

-27.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$120 €107

29.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,189 $3,189

$1,699 €1,523

87.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 $2,820

$1,355 €1,214

108.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,670 $5,670

$2,603 €2,332

117.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,315 $4,315

$2,062 €1,848

109.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,973 $5,973

$6,915 €6,196

-13.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,241 $4,241

$5,128 €4,595

-17.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,981 $4,981

$2,211 €1,981

125.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

3.28

102.13%

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

Last update for Long Island, NY: 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

Long Island, NY

$2.8K 66.8%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 51.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Long Island, NY

$382 9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 15.7% $60

Eating Out

Long Island, NY

$366 8.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 26.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Island, NY

$294 7%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 22.4% $66

Getting Around

Long Island, NY

$154 3.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 68.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Long Island, NY

$148 3.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 6.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Long Island, NY

$61 1.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 21.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,189 in Long Island, NY and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Island, NY pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Long Island, NY vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Island, NY

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

11:10 11:10 AM

6 h ahead of Long Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,804,968

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

Lowest

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Between locations

Long Island, NY Barcelona 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Island, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,225 in Long Island, NY and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Long Island, NY is about 2.3 times higher, 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: $3,189 in Long Island, NY versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,444 in Long Island, 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 19% higher in Long Island, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $4,225 in Long Island, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Long Island, NY. 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, Long Island, 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 42% less than in Long Island, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.