Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Barcelona, Venezuela

Name: Barcelona
Address: Barcelona, VE

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $635 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $51,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $635 in Barcelona.

New York, NY $4,906
Barcelona $635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $1,067 in Barcelona.

New York, NY $7,273
Barcelona $1,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $1,499 in Barcelona.

New York, NY $9,641
Barcelona $1,499

Living in New York, NY is roughly 672% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 263% above, Barcelona is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$9.35 VES 8,344

188.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$27.91 VES 24.9K

318.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$9.15 VES 8,167

59.56%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$2.53 VES 2,257

158.50%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.01 VES 902

282.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.73 VES 654

304.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$0.86 VES 769

839.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$1.79 VES 1,594

450.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.02 VES 1,801

-35.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$1.36 VES 1,216

466.18%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$5.99 VES 5,343

1.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$6.93 VES 6,183

182.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$7.90 VES 7,054

122.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$7.02 VES 6,262

188.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$1.94 VES 1,733

260.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.53 VES 1,362

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$1.21 VES 1,081

455.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.45 VES 2,183

190.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.03 VES 919

347.57%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$0.97 VES 868

392.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.47 VES 1,310

95.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$2.81 VES 2,512

581.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$10.11 VES 9,024

94.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$0.78 VES 693

325.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.05 VES 1,833

104.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.22 VES 195

1272.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$25.35 VES 22.6K

449.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$10.02 VES 8,948

-69.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.11 VES 992

98.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.52 VES 466

117.31%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$22.4K VES 20.0M

53.84%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$39.4K VES 35.2M

-34.39%

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

$232 $232

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

$71.0 $71.0

$14.78 VES 13.2K

380.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$30.26 VES 27.0K

123.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

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

$3,606 $3,606

$57.7 VES 51.5K

6149.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$70.8 VES 63.2K

11.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$35.47 VES 31.7K

44.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$101 VES 90.0K

20.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$69.3 VES 61.9K

102.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$200 VES 178.9K

2173.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$70.9 VES 63.2K

4190.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$299 VES 267.1K

3155.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$150 VES 134.1K

3447.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$411 VES 367.1K

4332.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

$239 VES 213.0K

2702.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$260 VES 232.1K

1860.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

23.12

-70.20%

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

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Barcelona

$71 11.2% 97.7% $3K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Barcelona

$206 * 32.4% 63.7% $361

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Barcelona

$147 23.2% 65.3% $278

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Barcelona

$45 * 7.1% 87.9% $326

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Barcelona

$124 19.6% 29.5% $52

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Barcelona

$42 6.6% 74.7% $124

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Barcelona

- * 0% 100%

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 $4,555 in New York, NY and $200 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 20 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $28 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $206 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇻🇪 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

20:07 8:07 PM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

560,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.12 USD

1,000 VES = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 893 VES (1,000 VES = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 998 VES (1,000 VES = 1 EUR).

VES to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Barcelona 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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 York, NY vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 20 times higher, 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: $4,555 in New York, NY versus $200 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $28 versus $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,906 per month in New York, NY versus $635 in Barcelona – Barcelona is about 87% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $635 in Barcelona versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $800 budget is realistic in Barcelona but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. 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.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.