Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milwaukee, WI and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Milwaukee, WI and in Barcelona: $2,502 and $2,405 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

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

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Milwaukee, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,502

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,502 in Milwaukee, WI versus $2,405 in Barcelona.

Milwaukee, WI $2,502
Barcelona $2,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,628 in Milwaukee, WI versus $3,477 in Barcelona.

Milwaukee, WI $3,628
Barcelona $3,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,754 in Milwaukee, WI versus $4,550 in Barcelona.

Milwaukee, WI $4,754
Barcelona $4,550

Living in Milwaukee, WI is roughly 4% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milwaukee, WI 87% above, Barcelona 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 $20.33

$17.98 €16.05

13.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 $73.7

$67.4 €60.2

9.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 $9.85

$13.37 €11.93

-26.33%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.34 €2.98

53.89%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$2.95 €2.64

-3.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.90 €1.69

6.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.88 €3.46

58.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 $7.61

$4.57 €4.08

66.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.27 €1.13

-37.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.96 €1.75

81.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$1.75 €1.56

198.86%

Eggs

$4.46 $4.46

$4.89 €4.36

-8.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 $10.06

$17.47 €15.59

-42.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$9.06 €8.09

51.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$20.18 €18.01

-18.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$3.08 €2.75

72.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.03 €1.81

-25.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.60 €2.32

73.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$2.71 €2.42

90.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.15 €1.92

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.21 €1.97

17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.54 €1.38

51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.93 €0.83

158.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.88 $10.88

$7.09 €6.32

53.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.90 $15.90

$7.63 €6.81

108.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.49 €1.33

32.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.73 €2.43

25.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.95 €2.63

-26.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 $71.0

$25.91 €23.13

174.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 $2.84

$3.13 €2.80

-9.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.45 €1.29

8.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.67 $20.67

$34.17 €30.49

-39.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.79 €1.60

-44.69%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$34.7K €31.0K

3.14%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$30.3K €27.0K

-15.43%

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

$198 $198

$181 €161

9.65%

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

$68.6 $68.6

$13.56 €12.10

405.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 $71.6

$35.12 €31.34

103.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.29 $43.29

$53.2 €47.44

-18.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.72 $18.72

$16.05 €14.33

16.64%

Cinema Ticket

$14.19 $14.19

$11.37 €10.14

24.80%

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

$1,803 $1,803

$939 €838

92.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$16.5K €14.7K

48.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 $54.9

$88.2 €78.7

-37.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 $40.46

$39.77 €35.49

1.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 $91.7

$103 €92.3

-11.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$119 €107

-1.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,757 $1,757

$1,695 €1,513

3.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 $1,189

$1,301 €1,161

-8.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 $2,804

$2,576 €2,299

8.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 $1,837

$1,941 €1,732

-5.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,741 $2,741

$7,470 €6,666

-63.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,683 $1,683

$5,195 €4,636

-67.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,747 $3,747

$2,299 €2,052

62.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

3.28

102.74%

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

Last update for Milwaukee, WI: October 3, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milwaukee, WI

$1.2K 46.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 9.4% $112

Groceries & Markets

Milwaukee, WI

$409 16%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 20.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milwaukee, WI

$338 13.2%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 32.2% $109

Eating Out

Milwaukee, WI

$319 12.5%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 14.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Milwaukee, WI

$137 5.4%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 15.3% $21

Getting Around

Milwaukee, WI

$90 3.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 46.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Milwaukee, WI

$72 2.8%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 5.9% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,757 in Milwaukee, WI and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milwaukee, WI pays 63% 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: $74.0 in Milwaukee, WI vs $67.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $409 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Milwaukee, WI

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:37 12:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

7 h ahead of Milwaukee, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

605,013

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Milwaukee, WI Barcelona 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Milwaukee, 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

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

Milwaukee, WI and Barcelona differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,502 vs $2,405 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Milwaukee, 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: $1,757 in Milwaukee, WI versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,803 in Milwaukee, WI versus $939 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Milwaukee, WI. 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, Milwaukee, WI 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 4% less than in Milwaukee, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.