Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,443 a month against $2,931 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,931

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,931 in Madison, WI versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Madison, WI $2,931
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,224 in Madison, WI versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Madison, WI $4,224
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,517 in Madison, WI versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Madison, WI $5,517
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Madison, WI is roughly 20% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madison, WI 117% above, Barcelona 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$17.66 €15.71

12.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 $65.0

$67.5 €60.0

-3.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$13.61 €12.12

-3.23%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.10 €2.76

82.58%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$3.00 €2.67

0.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.93 €1.71

26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 $6.62

$3.84 €3.42

72.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$4.36 €3.88

77.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.25 €1.11

-24.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.12 €1.89

49.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.97 €1.76

112.18%

Eggs

$3.72 $3.72

$4.76 €4.24

-21.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.49 $14.49

$17.07 €15.19

-15.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 $12.15

$8.96 €7.97

35.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 $20.36

$20.65 €18.38

-1.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.16 €2.81

45.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.97 €1.75

-17.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.65 €2.36

86.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.88 €2.57

62.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.06 €1.83

26.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.18 €1.94

29.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.53 €1.37

35.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.97 €0.86

130.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$6.97 €6.20

56.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.73 $15.73

$7.89 €7.02

99.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.42 €1.26

88.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.69 €2.39

63.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.31 €2.94

-41.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$25.61 €22.79

155.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.08 €2.74

26.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.48 €1.32

32.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.61 $44.61

$32.87 €29.25

35.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.87 €1.66

-42.78%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$33.0K €29.3K

-8.06%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$31.9K €28.4K

-20.15%

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

$266 $266

$183 €163

45.39%

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

$45.57 $45.57

$14.24 €12.67

220.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$34.56 €30.76

132.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 $51.6

$51.4 €45.76

0.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 $10.12

$16.38 €14.58

-38.22%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$11.06 €9.85

32.91%

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

$1,594 $1,594

$944 €840

68.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K $21.6K

$22.3K €19.8K

-2.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 $63.4

$87.7 €78.0

-27.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.65 $46.65

$38.77 €34.51

20.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$105 €93.0

2.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$118 €105

3.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 $1,723

$1,697 €1,510

1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 $1,465

$1,337 €1,190

9.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,146 $3,146

$2,692 €2,396

16.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,438 $2,438

$2,077 €1,848

17.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,429 $4,429

$7,155 €6,367

-38.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,478 $2,478

$5,079 €4,520

-51.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,430 $4,430

$2,241 €1,995

97.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

3.19

113.48%

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

Last update for Madison, WI: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madison, WI

$1.5K 50%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 8.7% $128

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$416 14.2%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 21.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$392 13.4%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 40.9% $160

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$337 11.5%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 20.8% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$152 5.2%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 2.9% $4.4

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$87 3%

Barcelona

$49 2% 43.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$81 2.8%

Barcelona

$74 3% 9.2% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,723 in Madison, WI and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madison, WI pays 98% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in Madison, WI vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $416 vs $328, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

15:22 3:22 PM

7 h ahead of Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

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

Madison, WI Barcelona 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
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

Madison, WI vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,931 in Madison, WI and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Madison, WI, 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: $1,723 in Madison, WI versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,594 in Madison, WI versus $944 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 Madison, WI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Madison, WI and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Madison, WI on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.