Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montclair, NJ and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,899 in Montclair, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Montclair, NJ
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Montclair, NJ Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Montclair, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,899

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,899 in Montclair, NJ versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Montclair, NJ $2,899
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,264 in Montclair, NJ versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Montclair, NJ $4,264
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,629 in Montclair, NJ versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Montclair, NJ $5,629
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Montclair, NJ is roughly 18% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montclair, NJ 113% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 $20.04

$17.59 €15.80

13.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 $80.7

$67.5 €60.6

19.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 $13.14

$13.53 €12.15

-2.88%

Cappuccino

$6.35 $6.35

$3.19 €2.87

99.06%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$2.91 €2.62

-15.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.89 €1.70

-22.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$4.01 €3.60

102.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$4.53 €4.07

58.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.31 €1.17

-3.05%

White Bread (500g)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.02 €1.81

121.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$1.85 €1.66

227.03%

Eggs

$6.13 $6.13

$4.83 €4.34

26.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.76 $13.76

$16.74 €15.03

-17.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$9.12 €8.19

11.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.41 $19.41

$19.64 €17.64

-1.17%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.98 €2.68

102.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.02 €1.81

11.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.70 €2.43

56.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.80 €2.52

94.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.09 €1.87

50.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.07 €1.86

44.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.46 €1.31

98.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$0.94 €0.84

188.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.55 $14.55

$6.87 €6.17

111.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$7.89 €7.08

91.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.41 €1.26

31.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.54 €2.28

40.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.99 €2.69

2.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.49 €1.34

46.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.69 $42.69

$33.37 €29.98

27.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.80 €1.61

-37.22%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.2K €29.8K

-16.89%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$31.7K €28.5K

-19.75%

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

$170 $170

$180 €162

-5.55%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$13.84 €12.43

272.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 $50.5

$33.70 €30.27

49.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.8 $80.8

$51.5 €46.27

56.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

Cinema Ticket

$20.23 $20.23

$10.99 €9.88

84.08%

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

$1,998 $1,998

$917 €823

117.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$16.5K €14.8K

-1.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 $70.1

$87.0 €78.2

-19.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$38.51 €34.59

32.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$106 €95.1

-5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$120 €108

0.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 $2,261

$1,699 €1,527

33.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 $1,540

$1,355 €1,217

13.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,631 $3,631

$2,603 €2,338

39.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 $2,557

$2,062 €1,853

24.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,211

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,606

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.28

107.32%

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

Last update for Montclair, NJ: 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

Montclair, NJ

$1.5K 53.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 12% $185

Groceries & Markets

Montclair, NJ

$451 15.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 28.6% $129

Eating Out

Montclair, NJ

$347 12%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 22.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montclair, NJ

$273 9.4%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 16.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Montclair, NJ

$154 5.3%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 2.7% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Montclair, NJ

$121 4.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 39.4% $48

Getting Around

Montclair, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 247% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,261 in Montclair, NJ and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81 in Montclair, NJ vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $451 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montclair, NJ

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

21:34 9:34 PM

5 h ahead of Montclair, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,669

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

Montclair, NJ Barcelona 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montclair, NJ
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

Montclair, NJ vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,899 in Montclair, NJ and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,348 in Montclair, NJ 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: $2,261 in Montclair, NJ versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,998 in Montclair, NJ versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $81 in Montclair, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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