Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bedford, MA and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,381 a month against $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in New Bedford, MA
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New Bedford, MA Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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New Bedford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,753

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,753 in New Bedford, MA versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

New Bedford, MA $2,753
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,820 in New Bedford, MA versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

New Bedford, MA $3,820
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,887 in New Bedford, MA versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

New Bedford, MA $4,887
Barcelona $4,431

Living in New Bedford, MA is roughly 16% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Bedford, MA 103% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.68 $19.68

$17.89 €15.92

10.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$66.2 €58.9

-10.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.95 $5.95

$13.69 €12.18

-56.54%

Cappuccino

$4.11 $4.11

$3.06 €2.72

34.31%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$3.07 €2.73

-24.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.94 €1.73

-36.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.87 €3.44

56.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.61 €4.10

-11.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.30 €1.16

-22.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.10 €1.87

118.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$1.83 €1.62

788.52%

Eggs

$6.42 $6.42

$4.62 €4.11

38.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 $10.57

$17.36 €15.44

-39.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.74 $10.74

$9.28 €8.25

15.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$19.83 €17.64

-3.38%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.01 €2.68

78.74%

Banana (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.03 €1.81

120.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.65 €2.36

27.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.87 €2.55

4.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.16 €1.92

2.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.15 €1.91

12.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.47 €1.31

87.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.88 €0.79

227.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.07 $13.07

$6.93 €6.16

88.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.85 $16.85

$7.83 €6.96

115.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.39 €1.24

38.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.63 €2.34

7.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.00 €2.66

104.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.44 €1.28

52.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.86 €1.65

-41.40%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$32.3K €28.8K

-12.88%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$31.7K €28.2K

-16.16%

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

$181 $181

$183 €163

-0.84%

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

$36.85 $36.85

$13.61 €12.11

170.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 $58.6

$32.93 €29.29

77.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 $28.95

$54.7 €48.65

-47.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 $12.43

$11.23 €9.99

10.69%

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

$2,133 $2,133

$954 €849

123.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.67 $38.67

$86.0 €76.5

-55.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.01 $16.01

$39.11 €34.78

-59.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$104 €92.2

-4.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 $1,869

$1,695 €1,508

10.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 $1,581

$1,276 €1,135

23.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,615 $2,615

$2,576 €2,291

1.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$1,922 €1,710

21.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,641 $4,641

$2,227 €1,981

108.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.42

3.28

65.24%

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

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Bedford, MA

$1.6K 57.5%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 19.3% $305

Groceries & Markets

New Bedford, MA

$478 17.4%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 32% $153

Eating Out

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 2.7% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 17.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

New Bedford, MA

$69 * 2.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 125% $87

Sport & Entertainment

New Bedford, MA

$54 2%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 43.4% $23

Getting Around

New Bedford, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 177% $30

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 $1,869 in New Bedford, MA and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Bedford, MA pays 108% 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: $59.0 in New Bedford, MA vs $66.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $478 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

6 h ahead of New Bedford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,538

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

New Bedford, MA Barcelona 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bedford, 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

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

New Bedford, MA and Barcelona differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,753 vs $2,381 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 108% higher in New Bedford, MA, 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: $1,869 in New Bedford, MA versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,133 in New Bedford, MA versus $954 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 $66.0 versus $59.0 in New Bedford, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, New Bedford, MA 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 16% less than in New Bedford, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.