Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medford, MA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $3,087 in Medford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Medford, MA
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Medford, MA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Medford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,087

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,087 in Medford, MA versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Medford, MA $3,087
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,233 in Medford, MA versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Medford, MA $4,233
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,378 in Medford, MA versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Medford, MA $5,378
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Medford, MA is roughly 26% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medford, MA 127% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.23 $18.23

$17.59 €15.80

3.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.9 $95.9

$67.5 €60.6

42.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$13.53 €12.15

-10.20%

Cappuccino

$5.50 $5.50

$3.19 €2.87

72.41%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$2.91 €2.62

1.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.89 €1.70

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 $7.89

$4.01 €3.60

96.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.73 $8.73

$4.53 €4.07

92.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.31 €1.17

-17.56%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.02 €1.81

98.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$1.85 €1.66

189.19%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$4.83 €4.34

-1.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$16.74 €15.03

-31.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$9.12 €8.19

59.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 $17.81

$19.64 €17.64

-9.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.98 €2.68

121.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.02 €1.81

-10.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.70 €2.43

99.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.80 €2.52

97.86%

Potato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.09 €1.87

113.88%

Onion (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.07 €1.86

101.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.46 €1.31

106.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.94 €0.84

219.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.10 $13.10

$6.87 €6.17

90.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 $13.47

$7.89 €7.08

70.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.41 €1.26

48.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.54 €2.28

68.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.14 €2.82

-24.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$25.45 €22.86

135.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.99 €2.69

-12.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.49 €1.34

18.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.34 $28.34

$33.37 €29.98

-15.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.80 €1.61

-40.56%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.2K €29.8K

-16.20%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.7K €28.5K

-17.39%

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

$246 $246

$180 €162

36.10%

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

$54.9 $54.9

$13.84 €12.43

296.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$33.70 €30.27

152.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 $41.33

$51.5 €46.27

-19.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$14.19 $14.19

$10.99 €9.88

29.12%

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

$1,839 $1,839

$917 €823

100.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K $30.1K

$16.5K €14.8K

82.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 $57.8

$87.0 €78.2

-33.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 $38.42

$38.51 €34.59

-0.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$106 €95.1

-25.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 $99.8

$120 €108

-16.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 $1,600

$1,699 €1,527

-5.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 $1,639

$1,355 €1,217

20.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 $2,510

$2,603 €2,338

-3.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$2,062 €1,853

4.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,745 $2,745

$6,915 €6,211

-60.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,408 $2,408

$5,128 €4,606

-53.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.28

102.44%

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

Last update for Medford, MA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medford, MA

$1.6K 53.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 17.3% $284

Groceries & Markets

Medford, MA

$461 14.9%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 30.2% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medford, MA

$386 12.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 40.9% $158

Eating Out

Medford, MA

$327 10.6%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 18.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Medford, MA

$124 4%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 27.5% $34

Getting Around

Medford, MA

$81 2.6%

Barcelona

$48 2% 40.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Medford, MA

$70 2.3%

Barcelona

$74 3% 5.5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,600 in Medford, MA and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96 in Medford, MA vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $461 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medford, MA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

00:07 12:07 AM

5 h ahead of Medford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,173

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Medford, MA Barcelona 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medford, MA
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

Medford, MA vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,087 in Medford, MA and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,631 in Medford, MA and $3,679 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,600 in Medford, MA versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,839 in Medford, MA 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 43% higher in Medford, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,453 in Barcelona versus $3,087 in Medford, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in Medford, MA. 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, Medford, MA and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.