Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Molde and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Molde: $2,288 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,288

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,288 in Molde versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Molde $2,288
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,546 in Molde versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Molde $3,546
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,803 in Molde versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Molde $4,803
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Molde costs roughly 7% less than in Barcelona.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Molde 68% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 NOK 155

$17.59 €15.76

-4.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.2 NOK 915

$67.5 €60.5

47.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 NOK 124

$13.53 €12.12

-0.74%

Cappuccino

$4.01 NOK 36.98

$3.19 €2.86

25.71%

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

$2.96 NOK 27.26

$2.91 €2.61

1.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.03

$1.89 €1.70

84.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.98 NOK 120

$4.01 €3.59

223.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.03 NOK 111

$4.53 €4.06

165.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.00 NOK 27.62

$1.31 €1.17

129.01%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 NOK 40.63

$2.02 €1.81

118.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 36.94

$1.85 €1.66

116.76%

Eggs

$5.49 NOK 50.6

$4.83 €4.33

13.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.51 NOK 171

$16.74 €15.00

10.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.95 NOK 147

$9.12 €8.17

74.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 31.93

$2.98 €2.67

16.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 NOK 29.12

$2.02 €1.81

56.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NOK 28.20

$2.70 €2.42

13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 NOK 45.65

$2.80 €2.51

76.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 NOK 24.17

$2.09 €1.87

25.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 NOK 21.29

$2.07 €1.85

11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 NOK 26.19

$1.46 €1.31

94.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.15 NOK 186

$6.87 €6.16

193.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.18 NOK 214

$7.89 €7.07

193.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 NOK 39.32

$1.41 €1.26

202.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 NOK 72.6

$2.54 €2.27

210.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.28 NOK 48.62

$3.14 €2.82

68.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 NOK 782

$25.45 €22.80

233.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.27 NOK 150

$2.99 €2.68

444.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.21

$1.80 €1.61

33.89%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

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

$31.7K €28.4K

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

$180 €162

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

$21.68 NOK 200

$13.84 €12.40

56.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.8 NOK 782

$33.70 €30.20

151.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 NOK 542

$51.5 €46.16

14.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$18.72 NOK 173

$10.99 €9.85

70.34%

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

$217 NOK 1,998

$917 €821

-76.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 NOK 1,044

$87.0 €78.0

30.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 NOK 1,271

$106 €94.8

30.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,476

$120 €107

33.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 NOK 11.8K

$1,699 €1,523

-24.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NOK 9,335

$1,355 €1,214

-25.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 NOK 17.8K

$2,603 €2,332

-25.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 NOK 15.8K

$2,062 €1,848

-17.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,375 NOK 40.3K

$2,211 €1,981

97.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

3.28

46.34%

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

Last update for Molde: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Molde

–

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Groceries & Markets

Molde

–

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Eating Out

Molde

–

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Molde

–

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Molde

–

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Molde

–

Barcelona

$74 3%

Getting Around

Molde

–

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,276 in Molde and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays 98% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $99 in Molde vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $428 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Molde

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

Same time as Molde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,920

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Molde Barcelona 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Molde
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

Molde vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 98% higher in Molde, 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: $1,276 in Molde versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Molde versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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